Right Down The Line
by ny love69
Summary: Instead of Monica, Ross and Rachel were best friends growing up. 5 years ago Ross left for London, but returns to New York. Romance ensues and these two discover that love is complicated. Especially when it comes to your best friend. RR, and slight CM.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Friends characters.**

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"Idiot. Stupid idiot."

She was angry, really angry. She had just quit her job after her boss had yelled at her for getting an order wrong. Apparently the customer had ordered vanilla, but she had brought back strawberry instead, So her boss had totally gone insane when he had found it and lets just say he ended up with a milkshake thrown on him. She had only been working there a few weeks, but she had felt like she had been there for years. The customers were rude, her coworkers were jerks, and her boss was just plain cruel half the time. So now she was heading back home trying to figure out how she would tell Monica about this. She had already been feeling bad because she had been staying with her and Chandler but now she didn't even have a job. Her life was so screwed up. She hadn't even been on a date in months because she had been trying so hard to get a job. So now she was single, miserable, and she had no job. She was really starting to wonder what she had done to deserve this.

Raindrops started to fall and Rachel let out a sigh of frustration. Where was her umbrella when she needed it?

When she got to Monica's door she was furious. Her hair was damp and her clothes were soaking wet from the rain. She officially hated her life.

She opened the door, expecting to walk in on Monica and Chandler like she had so many times but to her surprise her eyes were immediately covered and she knew it was Monica.

"Mon I'm really not in the mood for games. I'm tired, soaking wet, and I just quit my job."

"I'm sorry to hear that Rachel but, Chandler and I have a really big surprise for you and we think it will cheer you up."

"I really doubt it Monica.

Monica walked her to the living room before stopping in front of the couch.

"You ready Rach."

"Whatever." She wasn't in the mood for playing games, but she decided to play along with them. She removed her hands and smiled at Rachel, knowing that she would love the surprise. Rachel opened her eyes, blinking a few times, and what she saw blew her away.

Her best friend was standing there with lilies, her favorite flowers.

She hadn't seen him in five years and part of her felt like she was dreaming.

"Ross?"

She stared at him for a bit. There was no way he could be here. But there he was, holding lilies for her. He still had the same adorable puppy dog face with the same adorable puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist. It seems London had done him good. He was definitely more muscular than she remembered and maybe a little taller too. He had always been good looking but instead of seeing the cute geeky boy she had grown up with was now a handsome, tall young man in his place. Yes Ross Geller was definitely not a geek anymore.

"Oh my god Ross you're here!"

He knew she would be excited to see him but he hadn't planned on her jumping in his arms, causing him to lose his balance a bit. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I missed you Green."

"I missed you too Geller."

Meanwhile Monica and Chandler, who had been watching the entire thing, were having their own little conversation about the site taking place in front of them.

"Have they always been the close? When we were roommates in college Ross never mentioned her a lot."

"Well when he left for college they really couldn't spend that much time together, but as soon as she graduated they went back to being attached to each other. I always felt like the third wheel when we we all hung out together."

"Well now you have me now sweetie." Monica blushes a bit and leans in to kiss Chandler. They momentarily forget that Ross and Rachel are in the room and Ross glares at the pair.

"Hey Bing that's my little sister!"

They look up to see a red faced Ross. Monica smiled. He was still the same over protective brother she had grew up with.

"Calm down Ross. They have been dating for two years you know. By the way are those lilies for me," she asks batting her eyelashes.

Ross grins at her.

"Why yes they are Ms. Green." He hands the flowers to a beaming Rachel who he could not take his eyes off of.

He had always wondered why she had never considered being a model but never had built up the courage to ask. Her hair was in long golden waves that fell down her back. It seems that she not lost her amazing physique either. Whenever she entered a room, all eyes were immediately on her, but she always ignored the staring. Ross was her best friend but he was still a guy so it took awhile for him to actually pay attention to what she was saying sometimes.

"And then we can go to that Chinese Restaurant that I know you love to catch up at and maybe afterwards we can... Ross are you listening to me?"

He shook his head slightly and looked at her. She had a her hand on her lips and she was pouting.

"Sorry."

"Oh no I'm sorry. You're probably jet lagged right? What time did your flight get in?

"A few hours ago."

"Where are you staying? Mom and Dad's," Monica asked.

"Yeah but I've been looking at a few places in the city. Which means I can come visit you and Chandler anytime I want," Ross replied, smirking cheekily and Monica rolled her eyes at this.

"And you can visit Rachel too, well until she finds an apartment. Right Rach."

"Ugh don't remind me. I need to get a job before I can start looking for an apartment."

"Bad day at work?"

"Horrible day. My boss is an idiot."

"I'm sorry Rach." He enveloped her in a hug and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Are you sure they've never been more than friends," Chandler whispered in Monica's ear.

"Not that I'm aware of."


	2. Roommates

**Thanks for reading everyone. Remember that I love reviews. It helps figure out what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.**

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"I'm sorry Ross. I didn't think it would be closed on a Saturday," Rachel apologized as they made their way away from the restaurant. She was just as surprised as Ross when she saw the closed sign on the front window.

"Rach it's fine. Pizza is better anyways," he answered as the waited for a few taxis to pass.

They crossed the street together, their arms linked as they walked in perfect sync, ignoring the stares from people who were trying to catch a glimpse at the two incredibly good looking strangers that were walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm still sorry. I know how you love that place."

"I think it's a good thing. I haven't had any real thin crust pizza in a while."

At this Rachel stopped them and put her head back and let out a long drawn out laugh that attracted the attention of a few people and caused Ross to smirk in amusement.

"What's with you?"

She shook her head, still laughing and waited a few seconds to tell him.

"I just remember when we were teenagers I was mad at you. So I ordered pizza, but I had them cut up anchovies and mix it into the sauce," she laughed. At this revelation, Ross smiled at the memory.

"Yeah I remember. Worst pizza I ever had," he chuckled as he opened the door for them. "What did I do to make you mad?"

"Well I can't remember so it can't be too bad."

Ross got their orders while Rachel found a booth for them to sit at. After 5 minutes Rachel watched as he made his way back to her, taking a seat across from

After a few bites of his pizza, Ross pushed his plate back and looked up at Rachel.

"So tell me what's being going on with you Rach."

"Nothing much. I mean I've been looking for a job in the fashion industry, but nothing has come up yet."

"Nothing?"

She shook her head and stuck out her bottom lip.

"That's why I've been living with Monica and Chandler. I mean I've been looking at apartments and for roommate, but I can't seem to find anyone that's normal. There are a lot of freaks in Manhattan." At this they both laughed and continued with the conversation.

"So no boyfriend?"

She shook her head.

"Nope. I was seeing this guy a while ago, but it didn't work out."

"Why?"

She shrugged at his answer, but Ross was determined to know why.

"You have to have a reason why."

"I don't know. I guess he didn't meet my expectations, but Monica says I'm too picky, but there's nothing wrong with having a certain image in your head of who you're going to be with."

"What are your requirements?"

"He has to has to be tall, pretty eyes, funny, sweet, and a lot of other stuff."

"That's not too picky."

"And he has to be able to put up with my father," she added.

At this Ross began to choke on his water, catching Rachel off guard and causing a few other customers to stare. Rachel had to clap him on the back a few times to get him back to normal.

After he regained normal color in his face she couldn't help, but smile a little and moved a hand to his cheek.

"Aww my poor Rossy. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What were you saying?"

"Whoever I date has to be able to deal with my father," she repeated slowly.

"Well I think that's pretty much impossible. Your father is pretty intimidating. He always calls me wethead."

"Don't take it too personal Ross. He never liked you," she added sweetly

"That makes me feel better." He put his head down as if he was a little boy, but Rachel turns the other way, refusing to fall for his trick.

"Stop that. It won't work on me, not right now anyways."

"Ok but back to the apartment situation, do you really need a roommate?"

"Yeah I do. I feel like I'm crowding their space. They probably want their privacy since they're a couple and everything and Monica is such a neat freak about everything. I really don't know how Chandler deals with it," she says, recalling how Monica had gone insane when she had spilled her coffee that morning.

When he saw the look on her face he frowned. As she continued to eat her pizza, he started thinking of solutions to her apartment problem until the most obvious and simplest popped up.

He cleared his throat before looking her straight in the eye.

"You can stay with me. You can be my roommate," Ross states as he puts his drink down, playing with his hands nervously.

She raises her eyebrows at his proposition. She hadn't expected him to say that. "Are you serious?"

"Definitely. We were supposed to move in together for college. Remembered you promised Green," he smiled.

"I don't know Ross."

He grabbed her hand and she met his stare.

"Come on Rach, it would be so much fun." At this he gave her the puppy dog face and she couldn't help, but let herself fall into the trap.

"Okay then I guess we're roomies."

A week later it was moving day at Ross and Rachel's new apartment. Monica and Chandler had helped with moving Rachel's stuff to Ross's apartment, which wasn't too far away from theirs, but soon enough they had disappeared leaving Ross and Rachel to themselves. They had spent time together catching up and Ross wasn't surprised to see that Rachel's obsession with shopping hadn't changed. She had boxes and boxes of clothes to move in.

"What do you have in here Rachel? Rocks," he said as he carried the last box to her room.

"Ha ha ha I'm not you Geller," she said as she removed the dinosaur models from the shelves in her new room. "And I see you still collect these things. Still a nerd like always," she grinned.

"I'll have you know that Paleontologists don't just collect fossils. We also study the…"

He stopped when he saw her standing there with her hands on her hips looking bored.

"If you're done talking about boring dinosaurs maybe we can paint my room. The color you have is hideous," she says inspecting the walls.

"That really hurt my feelings." He fake pouted until she rolled her eyes in defeat.

"Okay I'm sorry, but we still need to paint the room."

"What color?"

When she didn't answer him he looked around and saw that she had tears in her eyes. Confused, he made his way over to her and saw that she was staring at a picture. She held up the the picture frame and smiled at him.

"I can't believe you have this."

"Yeah well my mom still had it in her photo album. I still can't believe she held on to it for so long," he muttered.

The frame held a very old, faded Halloween photo that was taken when they were kids. Judging from their faces, Rachel was 8 while Ross was just 9 years old. She smiled because she remembered that on that particular year they had decided to go as husband and wife.

"Look at how cute you looked in your tuxedo," she giggled, pointing to younger and geekier looking Ross.

"Well I think I'm the lucky one. I had the prettiest bride," he smirked.

At this she blushed and put the picture frame back and punched him in the shoulder.

"Yeah right Geller!"

A few hours later after they finished painting and looking back at old pictures, they had decided to have their own little house warming party. Ross watched in amusement as she drank one drink after the other. All though he was feeling a little tipsy, he knew Rachel was at the point of no return and felt a little bad because he knew she would have a really bad hangover in the morning.

"Come on Rossy you have to let me do your makeup." She slurred her words and struggled to stand up, almost losing her balance in the process.

"No way Rachel. You're drunk."

"Come on Ross. You would look so pretty."

"No."

"Please. Pretty please with... with sprinkles on top," she begged.

"Fine."

"Yay!"

He tried to hold in his laughter as he watched her stumble across the apartment. She finally finds the makeup bag and manages to make her way back to Ross, who seemed to be having difficultly standing up. She sat him down on the couch, but Ross was still having his doubts.

"Don't worry Rossy by the time I'm done you're going to look so pretty."

He closed his eyes and let Rachel work her magic.

20 minutes later Rachel stood up and admired her work.

"See Rossy I told you I knew what I was doing. Go to the bathroom and see for yourself."

He stumbled to the bathroom. He burst out laughing when he saw his appearance. He was now sporting some heavy eye makeup that was complete eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara. But the thing that really got Ross was the cherry red lipstick she had chosen for him.

She stumbled into the bathroom and gave him a goofy smile.

"So how do you like it? Did I do great or what?"

Knowing that she would probably get offended if he didn't go along, Ross put on a fake smile for her.

"It looks great Rach, but I'm going to wipe it off so I don't make anyone else jealous," he said slowly, as if he were speaking to a child.

If she wasn't so drunk she probably would have told him off about his lie, but she just nodded along and beamed at him.

"Okay now that we're done with that we can finally have movie time. Come on," she said pulling on his arm and dragging them into the living room and pushed him onto the couch as Ross watched in amusement.

She started looking for the remote, but was too drunk to notice that it was sitting on the coffee table.

"Uhh Rachel its right there."

"Maybe it's in my room! You stay right here! Don't move Ross!" She punched his shoulder playfully, a little too hard for Ross's liking, and skipped back to her room.

After 10 minutes of waiting for her to come back Ross was getting impatient and finally got up to see what was taking so long. He walked into the room and was not surprised to see Rachel passed out on her bed.

He couldn't tear his gaze from her. At that moment it was impossible not to stand there at marvel at the angelic beauty in front of him.

Her long golden hair was sprawled across her back with a single strand falling over her eye. Her bottom lip was sticking out perfectly, creating an adorable pout and making it harder for him to not go wake her up.

He carefully lifted her up in his arms and cradled her like a newborn baby and held her for a few moments, unable to stop staring. "My sleeping beauty," he whispered to himself.

He layed her head on a pillow and got a blanket out and layed it across her. He kneeled down at her bedside, watching her chest rise and fall while a million things went through his mind.

He couldn't believe how he had gone five years without her. The last week alone had been heaven for him and wanted to take advantage of his free time and spend all of it with her. He was so obsessed with Rachel that he had already planned not to look for any kind of relationship. For now she came first.

He stroked her cheek gently before getting up to switch off the light when he heard her.

"Aww you're so sweet Rossy." He looked back to see her smiling at him.

She stumbled out of bed where Ross caught her and she giggled into his shoulder. She lifted her head up and Ross had to hold back a laugh when he saw the goofy look plastered on her face.

"I love you," she whispered, now clinging on to him to keep herself from falling over.

"Huh."

At this she grabbed his face and kissed him with busing intensity.

He could taste the alcohol she had consumed and could feel her having trouble standing up, but he didn't care. Her lips felt perfect against his and he was enjoying every second off it. Even if she might not remember a single thing, but he was a little taken back when he felt her slip her tongue into his mouth.

She finally pulled away and gave him an even goofier smile than she had before.

"If I wasn't so dizzy we would be having sex right now," she slurred and Ross then realized that he ought to get her to bed before she said something really crazy.

"Come on drunk girl. You need to sleep," he said but she refused.

"No! I want to kiss you all night Ross," she said drunkenly and she took a step towards him and stumbled into his arms.

"Rachel you need some sleep."

"No! I want you," she begged and he almost caved in to the puppy dog look, but he saw that she wasn't herself. This wasn't Rachel talking.

"Rachel it's bedtime," he said leading her into bed and tucking her in.

"No Ross I want you kissing me, making love to me," she yawned. "I want…" she said tiredly as her eyes closed

"Go to sleep."

"But I… I love you," she whispered with a goofy smile on her face. "I want you," she whispered. He kissed her cheek softly and tucked her in.

"I love you too. Night Rach." He peeked at her one last time before closing the door behind him.


	3. Unexpected Feelings

**Thanks for the reviews everyone.**

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Because of the lack of curtains in her room, the sunlight had began to stream into her bedroom causing Rachel to wake up from her deep sleep.

She blinked her eyes slowly and rubbed them a few times before she looked around. She could barely remember last night which meant she had gotten drunk which meant she probably had fun with Ross. She could recall the countless times they had gotten drunk when they were teenagers because she, Ross, and Monica would sneak some of their parents cheap alcohol.

She moved a hand to her head and groaned when she felt a horrible headache coming on. She buried her head in her pillow for a few minutes, just wishing it would go away.

"I hate my life."

After 10 minutes of internal conflict she finally got up and dragged her feet to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth before she looked at herself. Familiar blue eyes stared back at her before she turned away.

Her thoughts suddenly flew to Ross. He was probably reading the newspaper or something. He never was one to sleep in late, even on weekends, something that she admired because she hated waking up early.

She brushed her hair for a few moments and piled it up into a messy ponytail before she caught site of the sticky note that was on her bathroom mirror.

She snatched it and read the small and neat handwriting that was squeezed onto the tiny note.

**Good Morning! I hope you feel better this morning. I know you had a pretty rough night, but if**

**you're up for it you can join me in the kitchen for breakfast. I picked you up some blueberry muffins**

**since I know they're your favorite.**

**- Ross**

"So sweet," she whispered to herself.

She smiled to herself as walked back into her room and to her closet where she kept her "Ross box."

Inside the box were childhood pictures from Christmas, Vacations, Birthdays, and other holidays they had spent together. As she dug further into the box she came across stacks of Valentine's Day cards that he had given to her over the years and notes they had written to eachother while he was gone. Her hand grazed a picture of her and Ross from her graduation and she grinned. It had been taken a few months before he had left for London. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and was smiling down at her, proud as ever that his best friend had graduated high school while Rachel just smiled into the camera, also happy that he was there.

But as she stared at the photo and studied their expressions, something confused her. The way Ross was looking at her made her squint a little. Was it a look of love in his eyes or was she just over-thinking everything the whole situation?

She brushed it off and tucked the note inside the box carefully before putting it back in her closet, the photo still haunting her. She managed to make her way into the kitchen and was hit by the smell of freshly made coffee and the sight of Ross sitting at the kitchen table.

When he heard soft footsteps he turned his head to see Rachel in a robe and fuzzy slippers and his smile grew. There were some people that could just hop out of bed and still look gorgeous and Rachel was one of those people. Her blue eyes were big and alert with curiosity with her hair piled into a messy ponytail, but she still looked gorgeous as usual.

"Morning," she whispered as she took a seat across from him.

He took a sip of his coffee and put it down gently.

"Good Morning and how did we sleep?"

"I slept great, but I feel horrible. Geez Geller why did you let me drink so much," she asked jokingly.

He laughed along with her. "Well you were having so much fun and I didn't want to ruin it. Do you want coffee?"

"Yes please."

She watched as he moved to get coffee, setting up her breakfast for her. He pulled a blueberry muffin out of a brown bag and put it on her plate.

"Thanks Ross."

"No problem." He watched as she mixed in sugar and milk with her coffee and took a sip before looking at him, giving him a warm smile.

"I seriously can't remember anything. Last night is a blur," she stated, putting a hand to her forehead.

"That's what happens when you get too drunk," he replied and she could hear the humor in his voice.

"I am never taking another sip of alcohol."

"So you don't remember anything you said to me last night?Nothing at all?" He let his mind wander back to last night and a blush crept on his cheeks when he remembered how she had kissed him.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." They both could tell when the other was lying and Rachel knew his voice only squeaked when he wasn't telling the truth.

"Ross why did you ask?"

At this he coughed a little and averted his eyes. "You umm might have… umm said some stuff."

Her eyes widened in shock because she could not remember anything. "What did I say."

"Something about umm… you wanting us to have sex," he said quickly.

She put her head on the table. "No," she moaned. "Please tell me you're lying."

"I'm not."

"I am so sorry Ross. I cannot believe I did that." Her face was extremely pink, much to Ross's amusement.

"It's fine."

"Is that all I did," she asked, giving him a worried look. "Please tell me that's the only thing I did."

Knowing that she would probably never want to show her face again, he decided to leave out the part about her kissing him.

"No. That's the only thing." She sighed in relief at this.

"Well thank you for putting me to bed."

A comfortable silence enveloped the room and Ross watched Rachel's movements carefully. He remembered that he forgotten to ask her something.

"Rach?"

"Hmm."

"I forgot to mention it to you last night, but my parent invited us to dinner. Monica and Chandler are coming too. Do you want to come?"

He got his answer when he saw the smile on her face. Hi sighed to himself. He loved when she smiled, it lit up his entire morning.

"Of course. I haven't seen them in a while, but I'm so excited. Your parents always treated me like I was their own daughter."

"Well then it's a date." Ross realizes what he says and looks up at Rachel, who seems to have a confused expression.

"A date?"

"Not a date… I meant umm… like a umm…," he said getting flustered.

"It's okay Ross I get it. Do you want to come shopping with me? I have nothing to wear for tonight."

"Sorry Rach, but if I do then I'll never make it out the store. And besides why do you need to go shopping? It's only dinner with my parents."

"I want to look nice."

"You don't need a new dress to look nice Rach. You're already gorgeous."

She blushed at his compliment.

"Thanks Ross." They both stood and emptied their dishes in the sink.

"Just speaking the truth."

"I'm sorry about my parents. I didn't know they would ask you that many questions."

She gave him a reassuring smile. He always seem to be apologizing for things that weren't even his fault.

"It's fine. I always think of them as second parents anyways. They always treated my like I was part of the family."

They had just come back from their dinner at the Geller household. It had been a little tension, but of course Chandler had cracked a couple of jokes, easing the tension in the dining room.

His parents were excited to see Rachel, but the questioning had started right after dinner was served and that was when it had gotten awkward. Of course they had questioned Monica and Chandler about their relationship and once Mrs. Geller was satisfied she moved on to Ross and Rachel.

She had tried to be very subtle, but his father just simply asked them point blank if they were dating. Ross had knocked over his glass of wine and started to get flustered while Monica and Chandler looked on, amused, and Rachel just sat back quietly, her cheeks turning pinker by the minute.

After Ross had insisted that he and Rachel were just friends, much to his parents disappointment, they moved on to another topic, babies. Once again Ross had knocked over his wine, but this time it landed on Rachel, who was happy to have an excuse to leave the table. But it hadn't stopped there. After dessert all the women had decided to go into the kitchen. Monica let her mother fuss over at her for awhile and then watched as she questioned Rachel even more. So after finally convincing his parents that they were not dating, they left for home and were now having coffee at Central Perk.

"But still I feel bad. And then I spilled wine on you."

"Ross it's fine," she said trying to reassure him.

He was about to apologize again when they were interrupted by a handsome young man with blond hair, who seemed to have a certain smug look on his face.

"Rachel… Rachel Green."

Rachel squints at him for a bit, having no idea who he is, but Ross immediately recognizes him and his temper flares.

"I'm sorry but I have no idea who you are."

"It's me Chip Matthews… from high school."

"Oh hi."

"You look great."

She blushed a little at his compliment and Ross felt like hitting Chip in the face. This was the guy that she had dated in high school, the same one who had constantly pressured her to have sex with him, the same one who had ditched her at prom and leaving Ross to take her, and here she was giggling over a compliment he had given her. Something that Ross did all the time.

"Thank you. Oh and you remember Ross Geller right."

"Oh yeah the dude you hung out with. You used to talk about dinosaurs all the time. Hey what happened to your glasses?"

"I got contacts," he said coldly, glaring at Chip. "Where's your helmet? You used to love carrying it around school and brag to everyone that you were on the football team," he asked sarcastically.

Rachel, sensing the tension turned her attention back to Chip. She noticed the arrogant look on his face, but decided to look past it.

"So are you passing by or do you live in the city?"

"Actually I live about 15 minutes away. I just came here for some coffee. Do you want to join me?"

Rachel looks at Ross, not wanting him to feel left out and gives Chip an apologetic look.

"Well Ross and I are having coffee so I don't…"

"It's okay Rach. I was about to head home anyways, have fun." He kissed her cheek and nodded at Chip before leaving. As he stepped outside, he glanced through the window and saw her staring back at him, a look of sadness apparent in her eyes. He waved and continued his way down the sidewalk.

As Rachel listened to Chip brag about himself, she kept letting her mind wander to Ross. For some odd reason she felt kind of guilty, like she was cheating on him or something.

But they were only friends. She didn't think of him as more than a brother, so there was no way she could have feelings for him. Right?


	4. Friends

A week later Ross was at home waiting for Rachel to come back from her date. This had been her second with Chip, much to Ross's irritation and he couldn't help but wonder why she would even go for a guy like him. All Ross saw was an arrogant jerk, but unfortunately he had managed to woo Rachel once again.

He had been arguing with himself all week. Why did he care if she dated Chip? Yes he had been feeling protective of Rachel, but it was because he was her best friend and not because he was jealous. Right?

He buried his face in his hands. When did life get complicated?

He heard the door open and looked up to see a Rachel''s smiling face. He smiled, but it disappeared quickly when he saw Chip trailing behind her, his arms around her waist. He had a smug look on his face and it just made Ross sick to his stomach. There was just something about him that wasn't right.

Ross watched as Chip pulled her in for a kiss and they stayed attached for some time until he made a sound of disgust.

They jumped apart and Rachel looked back to see Ross standing up, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Ross I'm sorry. We didn't even see you."

"Yeah I guess you were a little distracted." He sat back down on the couch and folded his arms.

"Well look at her man. Who wouldn't be distracted?" She blushed again and he pulled her in for another kiss. Ross sighed loudly and sat back on the couch. Life was so unfair.

Finally Rachel pulled away from him.

"I have to go to the bathroom. You and Ross can chat for a bit."

She turned to leave, but not before Chip kissed her again. After she left he sat down next to Ross.

"So… Rachel looks hot tonight."

"She looks gorgeous all the time," he stated.

Chip raised his eyebrows when he heard Ross's tone..

"Sorry man I'm just saying. I mean she was cute and everything in high school, but she looks way hotter now. You know what I mean?"

"She's more than just a pretty face. She has a great personality too," he hissed.

"Yeah yeah but come on who really cares about that? She's hot."

"That's all you care about?" Ross was trying his best to control his temper, which was becoming harder by the second.. He was talking about Rachel like she was a piece of meat or something.

"Well she has to be good in bed too. Rachel never did put out in high school, maybe I'll be luck out this time. Know what I mean," he said, raising his hand hand, hoping to get a high five from him

"No, I don't know what you mean," Ross hissed angrily.

"Dude what's your problem," Chip asked rudely.

"You! I don't know what Rachel sees in you because in my opinion she could do much better! You're the same pig that you were in high school!"

"And you're the same geek who followed her around like some lost puppy! You're just jealous I'm with her and you're not!"

"You know what you…," he stopped when he heard the door open. They turned around when she came back.

Unaware of what was going on, she put an arm around both of them.

"So what were you guys taking about," she asked smiling at both of them, but both were still glaring at each other angrily.

"How beautiful you look tonight," Chip said. He smirked at Ross and then pulled her in for another kiss. It took all Ross had to not chuck the remote at Chip's head. Finally after what seemed like forever they broke apart, well Rachel had to pull herself from him.

"Chip, Ross is right there," she whispered to him, but Ross still heard her.

"So." He tried to kiss her again and she almost fell for it, but the mental image of Ross popped in her head and she pushed him away.

"Sorry but…"

"Ross is there, yeah I get it. Listen I have to go, I'll call you later."

"Okay." She walked Chip to the door, Ross watching their every move like a hawk. "I'll see you later later." He kissed her again and at the site of that Ross couldn't stomach it anymore.

He scrunched up his fists together so hard that his knuckles turned white and left the room before he did anything drastic. He stormed to his room and slammed the door and hit the opposite wall, denting it a little.

The door flew open and he turned to find an annoyed looking Rachel with her hands on her hips.

"Ok what was that!"

Ross looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" He decided to play dumb since he knew that if he told her the truth that she would get mad.

"Ross I know your mad at me. Is it about Chip?"

"I'm not mad at you Rachel I just don't like him."

She raised her eyebrows. Ross usually got along with people easily.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Because this is the same guy that ditched you at prom. Remember how upset you were when he didn't show up. I had to take you myself."

"And I appreciated that Ross, I still do, but people change. Could you give him a chance for me?"

He shook his head at her. Couldn't she see that Chip was the same arrogant jerk that he had always been?

"Rach I don't know. There's something about him that's not right."

"You know I'm not going to sit here and convince you to like him. I just need you to at least civil towards him, for me Ross."

"He's a pig."

"Why can't you just be nice?"

"Sorry Rach, but I don't like him, I never did. You're too good for him. He's a jerk." At this she rolled her eyes, her patience was running really low.

"You're being a real jerk."

"And you're being really annoying. See he's already rubbing off on you."

"Ugh I can't even deal with you right now."

"Then why don't you go catch up with your boyfriend! I'm sure he wouldn't mind since he loves to stick his tongue down your throat!"

Her expression turned to a look of hurt. Her eyes filled with tears and her lips started to tremble, something that happened when she was about to cry.

"Fine!" She said storming out the room, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Rach… Rach I'm sorry," he said following her to her room, but she slammed the door in his face. "Rachel please…".

"Go away Ross!"

Now he felt bad, he should be happy for her. He was her best friend.

* * *

"Seriously Chandler, you should have seen this guy. He's a complete douchebag."

"Sounds like someone is jealous," Chandler added under his breath.

"Yeah Ross why do you care so much," Monica asked suspiciously.

Ross had spent all morning in Monica and Chandler's place telling them about last night. He couldn't get the image of Rachel and Chip out of his head and knew Rachel was mad with him since she had completely ignored him at breakfast. He had tried to apologize, but they had ended up in another argument. He knew she had left to go job hunting, but she had left before he had got to share his surprise with her.

"Because Monica remember how upset she was when she had found out he was cheating on her. She took him back and then look what he does after. He doesn't even show up for prom."

"Yeah you're right I guess, but still she's happy so…"

"Are you serious? I don't understand why she always goes for these jerks and then she ends up surprised when they cheat on her. I don't get…"

"Is that what you think?"

They all turned around to see an angry looking Rachel, who was glaring at Ross. He had no idea that she had been standing there the whole time. Where did she come from?

"Rach I swear I didn't…"

"Yeah I'm sure you didn't," she spat venomously.

"Rachel he's just looking out for you. I mean he does have a point. Chip was a jerk."

"Monica that doesn't give him the right to decide everything for me. He's not my father," she added, glaring at Ross.

"I'm only doing what's best for you because you're my friend," he explained, but Rachel took it a step further and poked him in the chest.

"You know what your problem is. You're jealous that your alone. Just because I have someone doesn't mean you can just run and pout like a 5 year old and I'll just drop everything to comfort you. Ross you're pathetic," she hissed and his expression turned to a look of shock.

"I'm… I'm pathetic," he repeated. She could see how much she hurt him, but she didn't care. He had hurt her and she wanted revenge.

"Yes. I have a boyfriend, Monica and Chandler have each other, but you have no one. Get over yourself!"

"That was a low blow," he responded quietly.

"And it's the truth. Ross things have changed. We're not little kids anymore. I grew up and so should you," she finished.

As soon as she caught a glimpse of his face she instantly regretted everything. Heartbreaking was not enough to describe the look in his eyes.

"Fine then date him, I don't care. Just don't expect me to comfort you when you find out he's cheating on you," he said softly. He grabbed his suitcase and coat before heading out the door.

She stood there for a few minutes, replaying his words in his head before she heard Monica's voice.

"Rach I know you're mad at him, but that was harsh," Monica said.

Rachel looks at the door for a second, shaking her head and joins them at the table. An awkward silence fell on them before Chandler cracked a joke.

"So… how about the weather. Could it be any more humid?"

Monica laughs, but Rachel is still eaten up by her guilt.

The way he had looked at her just broke her heart. She couldn't believe she had that to her best friend.

She covered her face with her hands, ashamed of herself.

"I can't believe I did that to him," she let out as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Monica gives Rachel a note with an address and Rachel looks up, confused.

"What's this?"

"Didn't Ross tell you?" When Rachel shook her head and Monica explains that Ross knows someone at the museum who has a connection at Ralph Lauren. She explains that this is the address to Rachel's job interview.

"Are you serious? Oh my god Monica this is Ralph Lauren! I can't believe this. This is what I've been waiting for," Rachel yells in shock.

"I know. I can't believe he didn't tell you."

Rachel runs a hand through her hair, feeling guilty. She had ignored him at the apartment this morning.

"He was probably trying to tell me this morning, but I was ignoring him."

Rachel gets up from her chair and moves to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To go apologize to your brother. I've been awful to him and he's only been a good friend to me."

* * *

An hour later Rachel was at the museum looking for Ross. She finally she spotted him at one of the exhibits, where he seemed to trying to make one of the caveman in the display stand up. Unfortunately for Ross, being as clumsy as he is, knocks his elbow into it and causes it to fall.

He hears a familiar giggle and is surprised to see Rachel smirking at him. She walks over and helps him with the display.

"Do you need some help," she asked softly.

He nodded his head, and together the both fix display successfully. They both stand back and admire their work before Ross turns to her.

"I don't understand Rach, I thought that after this morning that you were..."

"Well I was for awhile before I realized you were just looking out for me. And then the whole job interview thing… Ross why didn't you tell me?"

"Well I was, but we weren't speaking to each other this morning. I'm sorry."

"No I'm sorry. My best friend just wants the best for me. I could never tell you how much this means to me, this interview. I'm so nervous though. What if I'm not qualified enough or prepared?"

"Well you have until tomorrow so…"

Rachel stops him when she hears the words tomorrow.

"Tomorrow! Now I have to go shopping for a new outfit. Do you want to come?"

"Uhh kind of busy Rach," he said with his eyes darting back to the display.

"Oh yeah right, you have your dinosaur thing to do," she teased, causing him to blush.

"Oh Ross stop being like that. I was joking and don't you dare do that puppy dog face," she commanded. "You know I always fall for it."

Ross smiles at her, still blushing.

"Part of my charm I guess."

"Yeah yeah," she says going to kiss his cheek.

"I'll see you at the apartment. Have fun shopping," he adds sarcastically.

"Don't worry I will." She waves at him and Ross gets back to work. He sees a coworker of his staring at Rachel and he grunts loudly. The guy looks at him with a goofy expression on his face.

"Dude who was that?"

"That's my friend Rachel."

"Rachel huh. Is she single?"

"She's off limits and that includes you Brian," Ross says sternly. He storms off and feels himself get protective of her again. He knocks part of the display down, but this time it was because of jealousy not clumsiness.

**Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry if I missed any typos guys.**


	5. Moving On

**Ok so I really wanted to update today since I've been extremely busy and I didn't know how long it would be until the next update so I'm sorry if you see any mistakes or typos, but I'm human. I make mistakes.**

"Can you get me another drink bartender," Chip yelled obnoxiously.

Ross shook his head in disbelief as he watched a slightly drunk Chip yell for another glass. She had invited them both to help celebrate Rachel's new job at Ralph Lauren. She had thanked him about a million for getting her the interview and had practically begged him to come out and celebrate with her, something he was happy to do, but as soon as she mentioned that Chip would be coming, all his excitement left him. They had been dating for a couple of weeks now and so far he and Ross had avoided conflict, but it still didn't change the fact that Ross hated him with a passion.

So now he just sat back and watched as Chip made a complete idiot of himself in front of Rachel, something that he had been dying to see.

"Idiot," Ross muttered under his breath. At soon as the words left his mouth he saw Rachel frown.

"Ross don't be like that. I wanted you to come because you're the reason I have a job, my dream job. Come on and give me a smile," she teased as she pinched his cheeks and he couldn't help but comply to her demands.

"Fine, but don't expect me to be best friends with him."

She shook her head at him, chuckling a little before extending her hand.

"It's a deal."

They both watched as Chip downed another drink and stumbled out of his seat where he disappeared into the crowd. Ross glanced at Rachel, wondering if she was going to go after him before Chip did anything stupid, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"Aren't you going to go find him?"

"He's fine," she answered. Ross raised his eyebrows as he turned in his seat, scanning through the crowd of sweaty and drunken people before he spotted Chip. He smirked to himself as he watched him stumble into two other people and Ross looked back at Rachel to respond. She took a sip from her glass and he could tell something was wrong. She stared out into the crowded bar with no emotion and no expression whatsoever. She finally sat her drink down and sighed loudly, as if she was depressed about something.

Ross placed his hand on top of hers and she looked up at him.

"What's wrong?"

At this she gave him a fake smile and shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Rach it's me. You can tell me. I'm your therapist remember," he joked and she gave him a small smile. She took a deep breath before turning to face him and revealed her sudden mood change.

"I shouldn't be complaining. I have a new job, great friends, a great apartment, and a boyfriend."

"But your not happy," he added and she nodded.

"I feel like I'm missing something in my life. Love," she said simply. "Oh god that sounds like a cheesy love song," she laughed, but Ross was still thinking about what she had just said.

"But you have Chip," he pointed out.

"That's true, but I don't know… I feel like I'm not connecting with him at all. We never talk or anything. All he wants to do is kiss and everything else, but after that it's like he wants nothing to do with me."

"So basically he only wants to be physically involved but not emotionally?"

"Yeah. I mean it's like we go out, go back to his apartment and…"

"You slept with him?" Ross looked at her in desperation, praying that her answer was no and felt relived when she shook her head.

"No. I mean he wants to, but I don't know. And he keeps dropping these not so subtle hints and…"

At once his temper came out and he immediately went into protective mode.

"Is he pressuring you because if he is then I'll…"

"Ross don't even go there," she warned. "It's not that serious."

"Rachel if he's pressuring you to do something you don't want to then you shouldn't be with him. Why are you wasting your time with someone who isn't worth it?"

"I don't know," she answered, sadness apparent in her voice.

"I think you should go end it. And it's not because I don't like him, it's because I think you should be with someone who makes you happy and he doesn't."

She nodded and walked away, but not before giving him a hug.

She took a deep breath and pushed her way through the crowd. After ten minutes of looking she finally gave up and found herself near the corner which is exactly where she saw Chip, but he seemed to be enjoying himself.

He had his arms around some scantily clad woman and Rachel felt her anger rise as she watched his hands grope the stranger's body. It wasn't that she was hurt that he was pretty much cheating on her, it was the fact that she had wasted her time with him. Ross had been right all along. He hadn't changed and he probably never would.

She walked over to the two and poked him in the back and was surprised when he let out a grunt. She tapped him again before getting a response.

"I'm busy," he snapped, unattaching himself momentarily from the red head he was with before pulling her in for another sloppy kiss.

"Oh really," Rachel said, raising her voice and glaring at him.

When he recognized Rachel's voice his eyes widened and he pushed the woman away and turned to Rachel.

The woman glared at him. "Jerk," she muttered before walking off.

"Rachel I thought she was you," he lied.

"Yeah because I magically died my hair red," she said sarcastically. "You really are dumber than I thought."

"Come on Rach I was having fun."

She rolled her eyes, growing more angrier by the second when she walked closer and gave him a backhanded slap that resulted in a loud smack and a large red imprint on his cheek.

"Don't ever talk to me again!"

"Come on Rachel…"

"Lose my number," she hissed as she pulled her arm from his grasp and stalked off. Tears burned in her eyes, but she felt more embarrassed than anything else.

As soon as she made her way back to Ross, she grabbed her purse and his hand before dragging him out the bar.

"Hey what happened? Why are we leaving," Ross asked, but Rachel shook her head and kept a tight grip on his arm as she pulled Ross through the crowd.

"Turns out you were right about Chip. I saw him with someone else."

At once he pulled away. He couldn't let that idiot get away with what he did to her. It was time for revenge. He had it coming.

"I'll meet you outside."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are you going to do?"

"Just have a little talk," he said quickly and before she could protest he disappeared into the crowd and it didn't take long to find Chip. He was talking nonsense to a group of women who seemed to be uninterested.

He poked him in the back a few times before he finally turned around to face him.

"Congratulations you're even more of a douchebag than before," Ross hissed.

"Whatever man. I can get any woman in here." Chip slurred as he struggled to stand up. "Rachel is a stuck up little brat. I was going to break up with her anyways."

At this revelation Ross grabbed a glass and "accidentally" splashed water on Chip's pants, making it look like he wet himself.

Chip looked up at Ross, his eyes blazing while Ross just tried to hold in his laughter.

"Dude what the …"

"Have a nice life," Ross laughed as he made his way out the bar, but something that reached his ears made him snicker to himself.

"Come on ladies I didn't wet myself. I swear I didn't," Chip pleaded as two woman walked around him and shook their heads.

"Eww you pervert," Ross heard one of the same say.

He knew it wasn't the most mature move, but he had been waiting years to do that and as he walked home with Rachel, he could not wipe the satisfied grin from his face.

What goes around comes around.

* * *

"Wow what a jerk," Monica said as she listened to Rachel explain about what happened with Chip last night. "You know Chandler said something about him wasn't right."

"I know I feel bad about it. Ross was right. "

"Well I guess it all ended well. You dumped him and you ended up with a job at Ralph Lauren. It's not all bad Rach."

"Yeah I guess so," she agreed as she tightened her coat around her body.

"So what did my brother say? I bet he was totally bragging that he was right about Chip."

"No Ross was never the type of guy to do that. He's too sweet and kind and…"

"Blah blah blah. Yes I understand Rachel. Ross is a saint."

They made their way down the windy streets of Manhattan and a made a quick dash into Central Perk. They hung up their coats and made their way to a table where they were immediately greeted by Gunther. Rachel was becoming increasingly uncomfortable from the way he stared at her.

"Gunther, our coffees please," Monica snapped.

"Right away." He gives Rachel one last creepy smile before attending to their orders. Rachel waited until he was out of earshot before she continued with their conversation again.

So then Ross told me that…" She paused when she saw Monica shaking her head in another direction "What?"

Monica didn't say anything, but just glared behind Rachel's head and she turned around in her seat to see Gunther staring at them through a mirror. When he noticed that she and Monica were staring back, he quickly made his way to the back.

"You really need to do something about him. Seriously Rachel he could be a serial killer and you can be his next victim," she whispered.

At this Rachel let out a loud chuckle. "Oh come on Monica. We all know Gunther's harmless."

"Yeah you keep thinking that until he kidnaps you," she warned. She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she saw Ross with another woman. Monica also looked around when she saw Rachel staring.

Ross was chatting and laughing with a girl neither of them had ever seen before, but he seemed to be having a good time. She had short brown hair with brown eyes and she was a little taller than both of them. They were surprised when they heard a strong British accent and assumed she was a friend of his from England.

"Come on let's go say hi," Monica commands as she takes Rachel's arm. They walked closer and closer until Ross finally saw them.

There was a moment of awkward silence with the girl just staring at Monica and Rachel.

"So Ross are you going to introduce is or what," Monica teased.

"Oh right sorry. Umm Monica this is Emily. Emily this is my sister Monica."

"Hi," she said politely.

"And this is Rachel," Ross announced proudly.

"Oh so you're the famous Rachel. Ross never stops talking about you," Emily added as she took her hand and Rachel could sense a little bitterness in her voice.

Being the shy guy he is, Ross blushes crimson and Rachel gives him a reassuring smile, something that didn't go unnoticed by Emily.

"So how do you two know eachother," Monica asks.

"We dated for a year until Ross left London, but I got transferred here."

"Oh well that's good," Rachel added quietly.

"Yeah so Ross and I can be together now," Emily added, putting an arm around him while, but he has his attention focused on Rachel.

Gunther comes back with their coffee and Ross and Emily bid them goodbye, but Ross invites them along.

"You guys want to join us at the movies?"

"No you go have fun."

"Okay bye Mon, bye Rach," he says hugging them. Rachel notices that Emily flushes a little when Ross hugs her and she pulls back quickly.

"Bye guys."

"Bye Ross."

Rachel and Monica go back to their table sipping their coffee and continue their conversation.

"So when I brought up babies he just starting getting all sweaty and flustered… well you know how Chandler gets around anything that has to do with commitment so then I…" she stopped when she noticed Rachel wasn't paying the slightest attention.

"Hey what's up."

Rachel awakens from her daze and looks back at Monica.

"Oh nothing just daydreaming."

Monica looks behind her and finally sees what Rachel has been gazing at, Emily laughing at something Ross has said and he gently moves a stray piece of hair from her eyes. They watch as he gives her a soft kiss and they make their way down the street hand in hand.

"She seems nice huh?"

"Yeah I guess so." Rachel gives her a reassuring smile, but Monica was not fooled. She had known Rachel since they were kids and she always knew when something was wrong and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.


	6. You were mine

**Thanks everyone for reviewing and reading. I really appreciate it**_**. **_

"So movie night tonight. What do you want to watch?" Ross held up to held up two movies in his hands as Rachel entered the living room. She shrugged at this and took a seat in the armchair next to her.

"I don't really care."

"A scary movie it is." He grinned as he put in the movie and then squeezed into the same armchair as her. She stared at him for awhile, wondering how Emily would feel if she knew where Ross was. She got the feeling she didn't have a particular liking for her because very time Ross would look at her or touch her Emily would scowl and Rachel would just shrug her shoulders and try to ignore it.

Ross noticed her intense stare and frowned. "Do I have something on my face?"

She smiled and shook her head at him. "No. I'm just thinking."

Ross gave her a smile and pulled her closer to him as the movie started. She tried her best to pay attention, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. She watched as the features in his face change, smiling at he was so focused on the movie. She continued this for 15 minutes before snapping out her daze and turning to the television, peeking at him occasionally. They both jumped as they continued to watch and Rachel buried her face in his chest when they scary part came and refused to let go of him. He felt her tremble in his arms and held on to her tighter.

"Shh it's okay Rach. It's just a movie." He felt her shake her head and her grip on him became tighter. He combed his finger through her hair and kissed her head softly. After the movie credits began to roll she lifted her face up to see him looking at her with worried eyes and she blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I must have had a death grip on you."

"Don't worry about it. I enjoyed it," he said smirking. She slapped his chest lightly as they both began to laugh.

"Geller!"

"I'm hungry."

"When are you not hungry? What's with guys and having to eat all the time," she asked, shaking her head at him.

"Well Rachel I am a man," he bragged, sticking his chest out and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"I think we should go out for ice cream." He nodded in agreement and pulled her up from the armchair and left to get their coats. He grabbed her hand and soon enough they were walking hand in hand through the bustling streets.

"So how have things been with you? I feel like we haven't had our little talks in a while."

"Well I guess you've been so busy with Emily," she muttered.

Ross frowned and stopped her and she was forced to meet his gaze. "You don't like her do you?"

"Umm… I don't know..."

"Tell me the truth Rachel," he asked sternly.

"It's not that I don't like her it's just… I don't think she likes me."

"Rach, sweetie that's crazy." She blushes when he says sweetie and she tries to hide it from him as she points out the obvious animosity that Emily shows towards her.

"She's always getting mad when we're together and if she knew you were going with me to get ice cream she would freak out."

"Rach I'm sure she likes you. It's probably just a misunderstanding."

"But Ross I know she doesn't. She tried to trip me," Rachel justified.

"And I'm sure it was an accident. You're over thinking it."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly and she looked up when she felt his grip became tighter.

"Don't be sorry. You're just being honest," he said as he opened the door to the shop.

Since he knew her so well he already knew to order her a banana split with extra whipped cream and a sundae for him. He payed and carefully walked back to their table and handed her the bowl. He grinned as he watched excitement appear her eyes, but their moment was interrupted by the sound of a little girl's shriek.

They both turned to see scoops from an ice cream cone that had splattered on the floor. Ross watched as the little girl's pursed her lips to keep them from trembling as her eyes began to water. Something about seeing her l on the verge of tears seemed to trouble him.

"I'll be just a second Rach."

She nodded and watched as he dashed to the counter and almost instantly they waitress came back with his order which happened to be a ice cream cone. He thanked her and made his way back to the little girl.

He kneeled down to her level and handed the cone to her. "Here you go. Does that help?"

Her mouth curved into a small smile and she nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly. She gave him another nervous smile before walking away.

He stood up and made his way towards Rachel, who was very impressed by his little deed.

"Oh Ross that was so sweet. Look how happy she looks."

He shrugged his shoulders and right then and there she had the certain urge to just kiss him and she frowned. This was her best friend and he just happened to have a girlfriend.

"So what's been going on at work?"

"Well there's this really amazing discovery in…" he said blabbing on about his work, but she couldn't concentrate.

"There you go staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"

"No you look perfect."

He gave her a questioning before continuing their conversation. The rest of their night she shot him beaming smiles and nervous glances.

* * *

After they finished with their ice cream the decided to head back home. Rachel was answering a question Ross had asked when they were interrupted by a suspicious looking man.

He was obviously drunk and Rachel wanted to vomit after she took a whiff of his breath. He smelled like smoke and cheap liquor.

When he saw how the stranger was ogling Rachel, Ross put an arm around her and glared.

"Can we help you?"

"Yeah you can help me by joining me back at my place for some fun," he said, showing yellow teeth. Rachel cringed, but tried to keep her cool.

"No thanks I'm with my friend," she said as politely as she could and tried to walk away, but he had moved a hand to her shoulder.

"Come on baby get rid of this loser. I can show you a good time," he sneered.

"I said no now leave me alone!" She jerked away from him and Ross moved an arm around her again as they started to walk again when he felt a rough grasp on her arm and the guy forcefully pulled her away from Ross's arms.

"What the hell are you doing!" He clutched her arm, squeezing it until she gasped in pain.

"Stop it. You're hurting me!"

"Don't you ever talk to me like that again! You hear that!"

After he had raised his voice Ross stepped in and pulled Rachel from his arms. He grabbed the guy by his shirt and slammed him into a brick wall. He blacked out for a second, but opened his eyes again to see nothing but anger and fury in Ross's eyes.

"If you ever touch her like that again I'll kill you! And don't you ever raise your voice at her! Got it," he snarled and the guy was frightened enough that he was pretty close to peeing in his pants.

"Ok man just let me go."

"Apologize to her. Now!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he muttered to Rachel.

Ross glared before he released him and pushed him so that it sent the guy stumbling. When he got his balance he turned away and ran as fast as a drunken person could.

Ross took a deep breath and turned back to Rachel. Her eyes were red and she was trembling. He walked up to her and moved a hand to her cheek.

"He didn't touch you did he Rach?"

"No." A tear fell slipped her cheek and Ross kissed it away.

"Forget about him. Let's go home," he said putting his arms around her protectively and steering them home.

* * *

They were in her bed a few hours later.

Ross had been worried about her and said she could talk to him if she wanted too. Rachel stared into his warm and comforting eyes, glad that he was there or who knows what that sick pervert would've done.

"Thanks for doing that for me Ross."

"Rach if you think I would just stand there and let some drunken guy touch you and scream at you like that then…"

"But still I'm glad you were there," she said. She watched as he smiled and once again she felt the urge to kiss him, but her conscience stopped her.

He kissed her forehead and got up to leave, but she pulled him back. "Please don't go. Don't leave me tonight," she begged. He smiled and joined her back in her bed.

"I love you," she whispered as her eyes closed.

"I love you too Rach," he said giving a quick peck on the lips. She smiled and as her eyes started to close she focused on him and his comforting eyes.

* * *

The next morning Rachel felt her eyes flutter open. She turned to her side, expecting to find Ross there, but she pouted when she saw the empty spot next to her. She could still smell his cologne on her pillow. She smiled again and clutched the pillow to her chest. She felt so amazing, like she was dreaming and she still hadn't woken up.

The way he had protected her last night made her see him in a completely different light.

She sat up right, stretching out her arms and she sighed happily at the thought of him sitting in the kitchen, waiting up for her like he did every morning. They would talk, laugh, and just eachother's company.

She got up and dashed to the bathroom and quickly washed up before skipping down the hallway where she was it by the smell of fresh coffee.

She didn't know why but she was just extremely excited to see Ross. After last night she felt like something had happened to her. She had finally realized that she was in love with her best friend.

All the years he had been gone made her realize that she loved him. It had always been Ross. Even though he was with Emily she was sure he loved her too. What other reason could explain why he had been so jealous after she and Chip had dated? It made perfect sense.

She slowly made her way to the kitchen, prepared to confess everything to him when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Ross sat in his chair that he sat in every morning, but he was not alone. Emily sat perched in his lap, her hands running through his hair as they continued to kiss passionately. Rachel felt her eyes well up with tears as they finally broke apart, gazing at eachother lovingly.

"He was mine," she said to herself, her voice no more than a whisper. She held on to a wall for support and watched as Emily turned around in Ross's lap, staring directly at her.

"Oh hello Rachel," Emily smirked as she stood up. Ross stood up also and moved an arm around her waist.

"Morning Rach."

"Morning," she replied meekly, her voice cracking a bit and Ross noticed at once.

"You okay?"

"Fine," she replied and before Ross or Emily could say anything else, she darted out the room.

And just like that she felt herself come back to reality. He didn't belong to her and he never would.


	7. Jealous Much?

Ross and Emily had been dating for quite some time now and Rachel had definitely noticed the change in his attitude and she was happy for him, but she also knew that Emily in didn't seem to like the fact that she and Ross were best friends. For the most part everything had been running smoothly and the only arguments the couple seemed to get into were about Rachel, but tonight they were having dinner to celebrate Ross's new job offer at NYU.

"I'm so proud of you honey," Emily gushed. They all watched as she kissed Ross again and Rachel took another a sip of her wine, hoping to make the night go faster.

"Yeah congrats buddy. Now you can bore other people with dinosaurs," Chandler says jokingly causing everyone to laugh and at this Rachel stands up to make a toast.

"Well it's always nice to see wonderful things happen to good people. You're the sweetest guy I know." Chandler coughs when he hears this but Rachel continues her speech. " I don't know what I would do without you so here's to an amazing guy who deserves all the success in the world. To Ross."

"To Ross," they all say.

Rachel watched as Ross took as sip of his wine and found herself daydreaming the longer she gazed at him. His hair was gelled to perfection with the a few waves in the front. Rachel herself had picked out the suit he was wearing, making him more handsome than ever since his eyes seem to pop out even more.

She was snapped out of her daydream as she watched Emily scoot closer to him and she cringed as she watched Emily stroke his cheek.

"I swear you just have the most gorgeous eyes. They're to die for."

"Well that's why he always got away with everything when we were kids. Ross never got in trouble," Monica teased.

Having enough of their public display of affection, Rachel announces she has to go the bathroom and leaves the table. She walked into the bathroom and thankfully she was alone. She was more confused than anything and doesn't know what has gotten into her. She should be happy that Ross had Emily.

She combed her hair a bit and watched as the golden strands fell back into place, hoping to calm herself down, but that changed when she saw Monica enter the bathroom and Rachel instantly turned to her.

"What are you doing here?"

Monica raised her eyebrows at Rachel's tone, but answered her question.

"Emily's nice and everything, but does she have to attack his face every five seconds?"

Rachel didn't respond, but continued to brush her hair and Monica started to wonder if Emily was the reason for Rachel's sudden mood change.

"I know we've been friends for a long time Rach, but I also know that you and Ross have always been closer so if you need to tell him something then you should do it."

"Like what Monica?"

"Like if you think of him as more than a friend."

She put her brush down and contemplated her friend's suggestion

"Well you're wrong Monica. Ross is just my friend and that's all he'll ever be. Besides he's happy with Emily."

"I'm just saying it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world right? I mean I know for a fact that he thinks about you more than her."

"And how do you know that?"

Monica rolled her eyes at Rachel's naivness and started listing things.

"He's always staring at you, he gets jealous at the mention of you with another guy, and he's happier when he's with you than when he's with Emily."

"Monica your exaggerating."

"I'm not. What's so bad about Ross? Does he not qualify? Is he not experienced enough," Monica added defensively.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying Chip wasn't exactly a good guy. We both know why he dated you."

"So you're saying I only date guys for sex," Rachel asked.. Monica hears the tone in Rachel's voice and her expression softens a bit.

"It's not that Rach it's just… well some of your exes weren't exactly…"

"I get it okay," she snapped.

"Rachel I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying if all those jerks were good enough then why isn't Ross?"

"I don't know Mon," Rachel sighed.

"Because Chandler asked me if you two were ever more than friends, but I told him no. Am I wrong?"

Rachel remains silent as her mind travels back to five years ago. She takes a deep breath, but she refuses to let her eyes meet Monica's.

"You know the night before Ross left for London? Remember you had a party for him at your parents house."

"Yeah," Monica says, not knowing where Rachel is going.

"We kind of umm… please promise you won't tell anyone."

"I won't. I promise."

"That includes Chandler," Rachel says sternly.

"I promise I won't. Just tell me."

"We kinda slept together."

Monica eyes widened in shock and the look on her face was absolutely priceless. For a brief moment she thought Rachel was joking, but when she sees the look on Rachel's face, she realizes she was dead serious.

Oh my god! You and Ross. Wait why?"

"It's really complicated Monica," Rachel muttered, her face becoming more flushed by the minute.

"We have time."

"Well you know we always did everything together right?" At this Monica nodded her head and Rachel continued. "I wanted it to be special and Ross was leaving so we thought it was the perfect way to say goodbye."

"But I still don't get why you guys did it. It doesn't make any…"

"It was my first time Monica," Rachel says quietly.

"Oh."

"It was his too."

"Oh. I understand now"

"I know it doesn't make much sense, but I was scared. My best friend was leaving and he was going to be all the way in London. I didn't want him to forget me." Rachel started crying when she remembered how depressed she was after he had left and Monica went to hug her.

"Rachel he could never forget you. He adored you, he still does."

"Yeah I guess so."

"Come on Rachel this is my brother. He would do anything for you. I'm sure it meant the world to him too."

"I hope so."

"So even after all that you still don't like him more than a friend."

"I don't know anymore. It's weird I mean I know he had girlfriends before, but it never bothered me this much. When he's with her I can't even look at him."

"So do you love him."

"Of course I love him Monica, he's my best friend."

"I mean are you in love with him."

"I don't know. I thought I was, but I just… how can you be in love with someone you've known your whole life and not know?"

Monica shrugged her shoulder, not sure what to say to Rachel anymore.

"I don't know, but I do know that they aren't a lot guys like my brother left, so if you do love him then say something. I'd much rather see you with him than Emily and with that Monica gave her a small smile before leading them out the bathroom.

They made it back to their table and were greeted to the site of Emily practically sitting in Ross's lap with her arms wrapped around him. Monica looked at Rachel to see her eyes filling with tears, something that Ross didn't notice right away.

"I think I'm gonna head home, I don't feel well," Rachel said quickly before she grabbed her purse and dashed out the restaurant. Monica whispered in Chandler's ear and went after her, much to everyone else's confusion.

When he saw that Monica and Rachel had left, Ross tried to get up, but was having much difficulty because Emily refused to move.

"Ross I'm sure she's fine. Can't you just relax for a minute? She's not dying."

"Emily she's my friend. I have go see if she's okay." He finally managed to get her off and went after Monica and Rachel and Emily sulked in her seat.

"So that was interesting," Chandler joked, trying to lighten the mood, but all he did was earn a glare from Emily.

Meanwhile Monica and Rachel were outside of the restaurant. Rachel was now in tears and Monica was now trying to console her.

"I'm too late Monica. It doesn't even matter if I'm in love with him because he has her. They're going to end up getting married and having children."

Monica patted her back and tried to comfort Rachel, who was getting even more upset by the second.

"Don't say that Rachel. I know for a fact that he's loves you. I'm sure if you just tell him the truth then…" She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw her brother coming towards them.

"Rach what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. I don't feel good." She moved her head down and refused to meet his eyes.

"Rach you're crying," Ross said softly. Monica, unsure what to do, doesn't say a word.

"Allergies Ross, that's all. I'm about to walk home anyways," she sniffed and he objected to it at once.

"No way you're walking home by yourself. You're taking a cab."

"Our apartment is 5 minutes away. I can walk."

"If you're walking then I'm taking you home," Ross says sternly.

"I don't need you to babysit me, I can go myself. Besides you don't want to keep Emily waiting," Rachel says coldly. Ross doesn't pick up on the tone of her voice, but was getting annoyed with the fact that she wouldn't tell him what was wrong.

"Emily will wait for me. It's too dangerous to walk by yourself at night Rachel." Their eyes met and she knew he was referring to the night when that drunken guy had tried to take advantage of her. Rachel open her mouth in protest, but Monica interrupted her.

"He's right Rachel."

"Fine! I'll take a cab. I don't need you to escort me everywhere I go," she snapped.

"What is your problem," Ross finally yelled, causing a few passerby's to stare at him, but Ross ignored them.

"I'm fine. Why don't you and Emily go enjoy yourselves. It's your night after all."

"Rachel will you please tell me what's wrong. I don't know what I did and you're starting to make me feel guilty. So if I did anything wrong will you please tell me," he begged.

Rachel glanced at Monica, silently asking her for help, but all she does is mouth the words "tell him." Rachel shakes her head and looks back at Ross, who is anxiously waiting for an answer.

"You didn't do anything. I just need to get some sleep." They watched as she hopped into a taxi and as it sped off.

Ross leans against the side of the building, guilt weighing on him heavily. Monica took one look at her brother and she knew he was thinking of Rachel.

"I don't get it Monica. What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything Ross. Rachel's just going through difficult stuff. It's not your fault"

"Then why do I feel so guilty? You know I can't stand to see her cry. I feel horrible."

"Everything's going to be fine." Monica tried to get him to smile, but it was no use. She patted him on the back and went inside.

Ross looked up and watched the clouds in the sky. He felt a raindrop hit the top of his head, but he refused to remove from his spot. He saw Emily coming towards him and she looked extremely annoyed.

"Ross I've been waiting for 10 minutes. Come on," she said pulling his hand. He reluctantly went back into the restaurant, but the night does not go well. He couldn't stop thinking about a certain blue eyed and blonde haired beauty waiting for him at home. He knew he would have to talk to Rachel soon.


	8. Letting Go

"A Saturday morning and I can't even sleep," Ross groaned to himself. He had been twisting and turning all morning, but had failed to succumb to sleep. After last night's dinner he couldn't get his mind off Rachel, who had been avoiding him ever since and he knew that they would have to talk eventually. When they would talk was another question mark.

He jumped slightly when he heard a soft knock on his door and sat up. He saw Rachel standing at the doorway and he felt his heart race.

"Can we talk," she whispered so quietly that he could barely hear her.

"Yeah." He smiled at her and patted a spot on his bed and Rachel joined him. They sat bed with their legs crossed as if they were having a sleepover and Rachel couldn't help but gaze at him. She felt herself grow weaker and weaker the longer she studied his features and to his surprise she reached out and ran a hand through his hair, realizing what she was doing, she quickly stopped herself and this earned a look from Ross.

"I was fixing your hair. You know how messy it looks in the morning," Rachel said quickly. At this he shrugged and Rachel silently applauded herself for thinking so quick. He nervously played with his hands for a bit before looking up at her.

"So… about last night…," Ross said trailing off.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your night. I was just really upset."

"About what?"

She seriously contemplated about if she should tell him the truth. Yes it would be wonderful to finally tell him about her feelings, but things would change between them and she didn't know if it would be a positive or negative one. She suddenly remembered how happy he was with Emily and decided against it. Ross deserved to be happy even if she wasn't.

"It was nothing. I just got into an argument with my father," she lied.

"Oh." Ross looked away, he could've sworn it was because of something else.

"Why? You don't believe me?"

"No it's just… you seemed like you were jealous."

"I wasn't jealous," she snapped angrily as she folded her arms and pouted.

"Okay then. I'll drop it."

An awkward silence between them, each with different thoughts running through their heads and once again she considered telling him the truth. There would be no more Emily, she would have Ross to herself again, and Monica would be ecstatic and probably start planning their wedding. He would love her just as much as she loved him. As she glanced at him and studied him for a second she could picture herself with him. Fixing him breakfast in bed or stealing sweet kisses from him whenever were alone. And at that point she stopped listening to her head and instead to her heart, but before she could say anything he spoke up first.

"Can I tell you something?"

Anything," she said breathlessly.

She thought nothing of it when he moved off the bed and pulled out a small box from a drawer. Her finally widened when she noticed that it was just any little box. It was small and square, as if if he were about to propose.

He opened the it and she saw a beautiful ring with a large diamond sat there, looking absolutely stunning that it would be impossible to say no to.

"I'm going to ask Emily to marry me." Her heart shattered. That was it. He was gone. He was going to marry someone else.

"Wow. That's... that's something."

"I know," he said, still smiling.

"When are you going to ask her?" Sure she was devastated, but when she saw the excitement and happiness etched across his face she can't help but smile a little bit. He was… happy.

"I don't know. I think I'm going to wait until our anniversary. But that's good because then I'll have more time to plan out how I'm going to propose."

"Don't you think you're rushing it though? You guys haven't been dating that long."

"True, but we dated for a year while I was in London."

"Well then I guess you have it all figured out," she snapped, trying her best to control her jealously, but she was failing miserably. Ross noticed the tone in her voice and is reminded of last night.

"You don't this is a good idea do you," he said solemnly and she felt bad when she saw the disappointment in his eyes.

"It's not that it's just… this is a big deal. You don't want to do something that you might end up regretting."

"I know, but I want to get married."

"But are you sure it's something you want right?. Could you spend the rest of you life with her?"

Ross was speechless at this and he stammered on his answer

"I… I don't know."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because she wants to get married."

"So you're just going to do everything she says. If she told you to go back to London would you do it," she asked angrily.

"Rachel it's not like that."

"Then it explain it to me. Because it sounds like you don't have the backbone to tell her no."

"I'm doing this because I love her," he defended.

"Are you?"

"Yeah. Of course I do," he said nervously and she could still tell he wasn't 100 percent sure he wanted this. And the more he thought about it, the more he remembered that Emily has been hinting that if she didn't see a ring soon that she would go back to England. It was either get married or break up.

"Well then I guess you're getting married," she said bitterly. She pulled him for a hug, burying her face in his shoulder, trying to stop tears from falling.

"I know your not too crazy about Emily, but it means the world to me that your happy about this."

Rachel doesn't say anything back continues to hug him. What he doesn't know that she was suffering every minute she was with him. She let a tear slip down her cheek and held on to him even tighter.

* * *

It had been almost a week since Ross's announcement and so far Rachel had been good at avoiding him. Unfortunately she was now stuck watching Emily kiss him goodbye as he left for work.

"Bye sweetie I'll miss you," Emily managed in between kisses.

"I'll miss you too, but if I don't go right now then I'll really be late for class," Ross said as he tried to leave, but once again Emily pulled him back for another kiss.

Rachel tried to bury her herself in the magazine she was reading, hoping to block them out, but she couldn't.

"Okay fine, but after work I made reservations at the restaurant. I'll call you okay?"

"Yeah," Ross says. He loved Emily, but he was starting to get annoyed. He never had time for himself anymore, let alone Rachel, who had been avoiding him ever since he had told her about proposing to Emily, something he wasn't sure he wanted anymore. He kissed her one last time before he finally broke away and made his way to Rachel.

"Have fun talking about your dinosaurs," she teased.

"You know I will." He kissed her forehead and waved goodbye to both before finally leaving.

Emily watched as Rachel read her magazine and frowned. She had been getting even more worried about worried about her relationship with Ross and had purposely made sure he spent less time with Rachel, but that had only been pushing them apart. She thought some more about the problem before she finally realized that she would have to take things into her own hands.

She walked up to Rachel and politely asked to speak with her.

"Okay,"Rachel said, a confused look on her face.

"Look Rachel I know you and Ross have been friends for a long time and all but…"

"But what," Rachel snapped angrily.

"You spend too much time with each other. How do you think that makes me feel? I am his girlfriend after all," she says putting a lot of emphasis on the world girlfriend and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"And your point is," she said putting her hands on her hips.

"You need to back off. Even if me and Ross don't work out, which I'm not saying we won't, he'll find someone else. And he'll never be happy if he has you with him all the time."

"I still don't get your…"

"Rachel we both care about Ross. We both want him to be happy. You need to give him some space. I mean he's always saying that he made a mistake coming back here."

"He said that," Rachel asked, hurt now in her expression.

"Yes he did. He's always spending time with you and making sure that you're okay that he can't even take care of himself. So I'm asking that if you truly care about him then you'll step back."

"But he's my best friend."

"Rachel let's be honest. When Ross and I get married and have children do you really think he'll be around to be your friend. He'll have bigger and better things to worry about. I'm only doing this to help you out. Cut him out of your life before it gets too difficult."

Rachel nods and before Emily can say another word to her, she quickly leaves, tears in her eyes while Emily looks on happily.

Rachel meanwhile walks all the way home and suddenly bumps into someone.

"I'm so sorry I didn't…" Rachel started, but is relieved to see Monica.

"Hey Rach… what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just had a talk with Emily."

"I knew it! I knew their was something about her I didn't like. What did she do?"

"She didn't do anything Monica. She was just telling me the truth."

"Which is what," Monica demands.

"That if I'm really Ross's friend then I should stop spending so much time with him."

"Are you serious? That's insane! I swear when I see her I'll…," Monica rants, but Rachel stops her.

"No you can't Mon! And please don't tell Ross."

"I have to. He would break up with her in a second if he found out."

"No you can't and she's right. We spend too much time together and maybe it will help me get over him."

"Rach listen to yourself. You're falling into her little plan. She's just jealous of the relationship you have with him. He loves you."

"Well either way it's not healthy for me to spend so much time with him."

"Rachel he'll be devastated. I know my brother."

"He'll have Emily."

"But he loves you. You're his best friend."

"And Emily is his girlfriend and soon to be wife. End of story," Rachel said walking off, leaving a frustrated Monica in her wake.

* * *

Rachel finally arrived at their apartment and immediately went to her room, sitting in silence for awhile before letting tears escape from her eyes and when she spots a picture of her and Ross, she quickly moves it to the bottom of her drawer. And buries her head into her pillow, hoping that sleep will take her mind off him.

A few hours later she felt herself being awaken by the one person she has been trying to avoid and the first thing she sees is his beautiful hazel eyes, her weak spot.

She let out a groan. What was he doing to her?

"Rach come on and get out of bed, it's movie night."

"No thanks I think I'll skip," Rachel muttered, her head buried in her pillow.

"Come on Rachel. We never spend any time together anymore."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"How is that a good thing? We never see see each other anymore," Ross said.

"Well you have Emily. Maybe you should spend more time with her."

"Rachel I canceled my plans with Emily for you. Do you not like spending time with me anymore?"

"I do, but I just think if you plan on marrying her then you should spend time with her and not me."

"To be honest I'm not even sure about if I want to be with her. She's been suffocating me and she's always calling me. It's starting to get annoying," he revealed as he thought back to how she had called him 6 times in the last hour, demanding to know where he was.

"Did you ever think it was because she loves you Ross?"

"Yeah that's what I thought, but I think she doesn't want me spending time with you. I think she's jealous."

"Maybe. I don't know."

A silence follows and Rachel waited for him to leave, but she could still hear his breathing. She finally looked up to see him smiling.

"So are you going to sit here and watch me sleep?"

"Well there's nothing else to do and you seem upset."

"I'm not," she retorted.

"Still… are you sure about movie night? The offer still stands," he said giving her the most adorable smile and she almost fell for it, but she remembered what Emily said and refuses.

"No thanks. I think I'm gonna go to sleep early." Ross kissed her cheek and she turned extremely red, thankfully he didn't notice.

"I hope you feel better. You can't avoid me forever Green," he added jokingly.

**Thanks to everyone who's still reading this story and to Exintaris, thanks for reviewing every chapter that I've done. I love reading your feedback.**


	9. Birthday Kisses

**Thanks for all the reviews guys. I really appreciate it.**

"Happy Birthday Ross," Rachel sung softly. The birthday boy himself smiled when he heard her voice, but buried his head back under bed sheets.

"Come back later."

"Come on Ross you have to get up," she whined as she jumped on top of him. Normally she wouldn't be so affectionate with Ross after her little agreement with Emily, but today was different. It was his birthday after all and she was determined a little bit more time with him.

"Rach I'm tired," he moaned into his pillow. She gave up on waking him and took a spot next to him and propped herself up on her elbow and watched him fall back asleep. After a few minutes she finally lost her patience and huffed.

"It's almost noon Ross now get up," she said as she ripped the bedsheets off him. She blushed to herself when she saw that he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Ross rubbed his eyes a few times before finally looking at her and turned crimson when he noticed she was staring at his chest. He quickly sat up and covered himself himself, a little embarrassed, but Rachel is still in a daze.

"Sorry Rach. I don't sleep with a shirt on," he apologized.

"It's fine." She shook herself out of her trance and left for the kitchen while Ross threw on a shirt. He raised an eyebrow in shock when he saw Rachel carrying a tray of food because he didn't think she knew how to cook or use a stove for that matter. She gave him a beaming smile as she handed a tray that had a tall stack of pancakes and he gave her a grateful look.

"Umm thanks Rach."

"No problem," she said waving it off and she watched as he indulged in the chocolate chip pancakes and waited for his response.

"How do they taste? I know I'm a horrible cook, but I went through 6 batches before they finally came out right," she explained as she gave him a nervous look. Ross finally sat the plate down, looking at Rachel, who eagerly waited for his response.

"Rach they're awesome. I didn't know you could cook," he laughed which earned a him smack on the chest. At this he he tackles her onto the bed and starts tickling her that causes Rachel to go in a fit of giggles and Ross feels like he's in heaven since he hasn't heard her laugh in weeks. He flipped her over and she ends up trapped under him, both of them breathing extremely hard. They stared at each other for a few moments, their heads moving closer together before the phone rang.

Rachel closes her eyes in frustration as she feels Ross body weight lifted off and she watched as he answered the phone. A blush crept onto her cheeks when she the thought about what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted.

"Hi Emily… yeah you can come up right now. The door is already open… okay love you bye," he said quickly as he slammed the phone down. He turned to see Rachel fixing his bed and his expression softened.

"I'm sorry about that Rach."

"Don't apologize. It's your birthday," she said as she took the tray from him.

"Still I know how Emily gets and I don't want you to be uncomfortable." He followed her into the kitchen where she dumped the dishes into the sink.

"It's fine Ross, it's your birthday," she smiled. She moved past him, but was forced to stop when she felt him grab her hand.

"Just because I'm with Emily doesn't mean I'll just get up and ditch you." She nodded as he squeezed her hand affectionately, but once again their moment of peace was interrupted when Emily strolled through the door. There was a brief second where the two woman just glared at each other before Emily moved to Ross's side.

"Happy Birthday darling," she purred and Rachel made a sound of disgust. Ross kissed Emily's cheek before leaving for the bathroom and both of the women sighed loudly as he disappeared down the hall before Emily turned to Rachel and glared.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from him," she hissed and at once Rachel turned to red.. She was through with how Emily was making both her and Ross miserable.

"I don't take orders from anyone especially you! I can see Ross anytime I please and that includes his birthday!"

"You really think that after we're married that he's going to want anything to do with you!"

"We've been best friends since we were kids. I'm not going anywhere!"

"Rachel I'm going to be his wife soon which means I can tell him to stay away from people I don't think he needs to be around. You really don't want to get on my bad side."

"Emily listen to me one more time. I'm not scared of you. I don't give a damn if you marry Ross because like it or not I'm always going to be there for him. So you can either suck it up and accept that or there's going to be a lot of problems between us."

"Rachel I'm trying to be civil for Ross's sake and for yours too. You're only going to be hurt when he starts spending less and less time with you."

"Wanna bet?" At this they both took a step towards each other and before either one could speak, Ross appeared before them again. Both women turned, a smile on both of their faces when they see he has a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Rach do you want to join us at the coffee house?" She smiled at his sweet gesture, but shook her head.

"I have errands to do. I'll catch you later." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smirked at a furious Emily before gliding out the room.

He feels Emily's lips on his cheek, but payed no attention to her, but instead watched as Rachel left. He felt a a certain longing and sadness as he watched the door close behind her.

Emily was... Emily, but Rachel was everything. He was never genuinely happy unless they were together. And he couldn't lie to himself anymore. Emily made him miserable and he knew deep down that he couldn't marry her. They wouldn't work it and it was only matter of time. He belonged with someone like... Rachel. She made him happier than Emily did and Monica had been hinting lately that she would love to be their wedding planner, but he had thought she was joking the whole time. Maybe there had been some truth to it.

He pictured himself waking up to her every morning and surprisingly the thought of it didn't scare him. He didn't freak out when he thought about saying his vows to her or calling her his wife. He could picture their child, a little girl with blonde hair and her eyes and smiled at the thought of having a daughter that was the spinning image of Rachel.

So why wasn't he with her? She was his best friend. She knew him better than any woman would and she loved him and wasn't that the foundation of love? Friendship. What was more perfect that falling in love and marrying your best friend?

He knew what he would have to do. He couldn't deny it. He wanted more from Rachel, and friendship just wasn't enough anymore. He loved her and he wanted her to know it. The only question was when he would talk to Emily.

But that would have to wait until after tonight.

* * *

"Emily why the sudden rush to spend time with my sister? I thought you didn't even like her that much," Ross scoffed as she practically dragged him to Chandler and Monica's apartment.

"Stop being silly. You know I adore your sister," Emily said as she gave him a fake smile. To be honest she didn't like Monica either. She was also extremely close to Rachel and it drove her mad. Why were all the Geller's so in love with her? "Besides darling Monica told me Rachel was here too and we all know how much you adore her," Emily added bitterly.

As soon as Ross heard that Rachel was there he picked up the pace and Emily rolled her eyes. They finally arrived at Monica and Chandler's door and Ross opened it with a spare key. They walked in , but it is pitch black. He moved a hand to the light switch and flipped it on and their ears were met with a yell.

"Surprise!"

He blinked in shock a few times to see his friends, family, and a few coworkers there too, but his face lights up when he saw Rachel standing there. He walked toward her and hugged her tightly before spinning her around, causing her to let out a laugh. He heard Emily clear her throat rather loudly before putting her down.

He ignored Emily in her attempt to kiss him and turned his attention to Rachel.

"You planned this," he asked.

"Actually it was me, Mon, and Emily."

Monica shook her head at this and put an arm around Ross and Rachel.

"Rachel's being so modest. Me and Emily helped, but Rachel did pretty much everything."

"Thanks Rach," he said hugging her again, but they are interrupted by his parents.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," his mother gushed as she squeezed his cheeks. Ross hugged his parents and Emily saw this as the perfect opportunity to get on their good side.

"Mr and Mrs. Geller it's so nice to see you again."

An hour later while Emily is distracted, Rachel manages steals Ross away for some private time.

"I can't believe you did all of this Rachel, right to the last detail. You even got the right kind of cake," he exclaimed.

"Red Velvet cake with chocolate frosting," she repeated.

"You're amazing. You know that right?"

"Well after everything you've done for me, it's the least I could do."

"Rach I swear this is the best birthday and it's all because of you." They both smiled as he moved a piece of hair that had fallen into her eyes. She put a hand to his cheek, gazing at him for a while, her desire to kiss him growing stronger by the second.

"Ross!" They turned around to see a furious Emily. She gave them both a look of disbelief before she stormed away. Ross groaned out load while Rachel patted his back soothingly.

"Rach I…"

"You go talk to her. I'll be waiting," Rachel said smiling. He kissed her forehead before taking off after Emily. He followed her all the way outside the apartment door before she finally turned around to look at him with watery eyes. Her hair was coming out of its neat bun and she was mascara was running.

"Ross how could you sneak off with her! You act like she's your girlfriend!"

"Emily I…," Ross started but she interrupted him.

"No I want an answer now. Either me or her."

"This is ridiculous."

"No it's time that you pick Ross. I'm always playing second best to her and I'm sick of it. I want you to pick right now, me or her."

"I'm not doing it Emily."

"Ross if you don't pick someone then we're over." He shook his head at this, wondering if he should just walk away because he really wasn't in the mood to hear her yelling. Especially on his birthday

"No," he said simply.

"What do you mean no," she screeched.

"I mean no."

"If you don't then I'll go tell your precious friends and family what kind of man you really are. The kind that cheats on his girlfriend with woman like her. She's nothing but a bitc.."

"Don't you dare call her that!" In an instant his temper had shot up and his face was red.

"Oh so I see I picked on your precious Rachel. I knew it! I knew you cheated on me with her!"

"I never cheated on you!"

"Don't give me that! I see the way she looks at you and I see the way you look at her! That's why I told her to back off," Emily admitted with a hint of a smirk on her face. At this Ross furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked at her suspiciously.

"You what?"

"I told your precious Rachel to stay away from you and she actually believed it. She was so upset, crying and everything," Emily added with a chuckle. He closed his eyes for a second, not wanting to believe that she would do that to him, but he remembered how Rachel's mood had been lately. She would snap at him for every little thing and she would always find an excuse to not be around him. She was miserable and he had spent hours trying to figure out why and now he knew. This... this monster was the reason.

_Well you have Emily. Maybe you should spend more time with her._

"Get away from me," he ordered as he watched Emily take a step towards him.

"Ross, darling don't be like that."

"You're sick! I never knew why she had been so strange towards me, but it was all you! She wouldn't look at me, she wouldn't even talk to me and it was all your fault! You're sick!"

"Ross I only did it for us," she pleaded.

"There is no us. We are over," he said gesturing between them and her expression crumpled.

"Ross don't do something so drastic. I love you and I know you love me. I saw the ring you bought." At this he felt even more disgusted with himself. And to think he had almost married this vile woman.

"That was a mistake. I never should have bought it."

"Ross I know you love me." She tugged on his short, desperately trying to convince him that she only did everything out of love.

"You know I don't think I was ever in love with you. I loved you, but I don't know if I was ever in love with you."

"Ross…"

"I pick Rachel."

"What?"

"You asked me to choose and I choose Rachel. It was never you Emily. It was always her and it always will be." The look on Emily's face would have been funny if they weren't having such a serious conversation. He remained motionless as she continued to tug in his shirt.

"You're picking her over me," Emily asked with tears in her eyes.

"You've been suffocating me. You were never like this when we were in London."

"Because I didn't have to compete with her," she screeched. "Its not fair, you always chose her over me. What does she have that I don't?"

"I don't know, but Rachel is my best friend. I love her and I don't think it's fair to either of us to pretend like we're happy when we're not."

"So that's it. After all this time together you're leaving me for her. I love you Ross."

"You made me miserable and it took me until now to realize that Rachel's the only one that can make me happy. I could picture a future with her."

"And you couldn't with me?"

"No because I was always in love with her. The only thing I'm sorry about is that I wasted all this time."

"She doesn't love you. She'll never love you like I do."

At this he shook his head and smiled to himself. "But that's the thing Emily, she does. More than you'll ever know." Emily looked at him with a hurt expression, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Fine. Happy Birthday,"she cried in between sobs. She looked at him one final time before pushing past and leaving him standing there. He felt guilty and at the same time relieved.

* * *

After a few more hours Ross and Rachel had finally returned from his party. He had been pretty quiet at first, but Ross finally told Rachel what had taken place he and Emily and he could have swore he saw a hint of a smile when she had found out. She had dragged him to the window so they could watch the beautifully lit up sky.

"Are you sure you're okay," Rachel asked again as he sighed loudly.

"Yeah it's just… I feel so stupid. I was about to marry her," he added sadly.

"You of all people are not stupid. You loved her and you wanted to believe she had a good person."

"Which she wasn't," he added, remembering how miserable she made him.

"I know you're going to be a great husband to someone Ross and she's going to make you happier than Emily ever did." She moved a hand to his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"Forget about her. I'm glad it's over. I just need to be by myself for awhile," he said sternly. At this Rachel's expression turned to one of hurt and she pouted.

"Oh."

"Except you of course. I always have time for my favorite girl," he said as he put an arm around and gave her a beaming smile and she blushed.

Rachel glanced at her watch and was surprised at long they had been outside talking. She linked their hands together, causing Ross to look at her.

"So it's 11:59. You sure you don't want anything else for your birthday?"

"Actually there is something I want," Ross said staring at her.

"And what is that," she teased.

He took her completely off guard by cupping her cheeks in his hands and swooped down and gave her a soft kiss. She was surprised at first, but did not pull away, but instead wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her as they continued to kiss passionately. They stayed like that for quite some time, neither thinking of the consequences, but just focusing on each other.


	10. Never Again

**Thanks you to everyone that continues to read and review. Whether it's just a line or a paragraph I really appreciate it.**

"So big bro tell me why Rachel sprinted out the coffee house yesterday? Seriously I've never seen her run so fast," Monica said as she set a mug in front of him. He graciously thanked her as he took a seat in the kitchen table.

"It's been like that for the last few weeks Monica."

Monica shook her head as she took a seat across from him. Silence rang through the room before their ears were met with the sound of glass breaking.

"Damn't," Monica cursed and Ross watched as she got rid of the broken mug. He tilted his head slightly when he noticed how she flinched every few seconds.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"But you…"

"Let's stop talking about me. What I want to know is why Rachel has been avoiding us."

"I kissed her." Once again silence filled through the room and Ross was surprised when Monica did not speak, but instead just sipped her coffee.

"Well I can't say I'm too surprised. It was only a matter of time." She gave him a smile, much to Ross's disbelief.

"Uh okay. Well anyways it was a few weeks ago, my birthday actually."

"After the whole Emily thing," she said and Ross nodded. "So you just kissed her? Totally random," she added.

"I know it was pretty stupid, but after everything that happened with Emily, I just felt horrible for what she did to her. She never even said anything. We're supposed to be best friends."

"Yeah I guess, but Emily really got to her. She felt like she couldn't talk to you anymore."At this he buried his face in his hands.

"I'm horrible."

Monica shrugged and accidentally knocked over another mug. She cursed to herself before kneeling down to sweep up the mess and Ross stared at her suspiciously.

"Monica calm down. You've been fidgety all this morning."

"I'm fine. Everything's fine… just fine," she stuttered.

"Monica."

"We don't need to talk about me. Let's talk about you and Rachel."

"No let's talk about you and why you're so jumpy."

"Ross we really should wait for Chandler and Rachel to get here."

"Why can't you tell me now? I'm your brother."

"Because I know you're going to freak out on me," she said as she scooped up the remains of the broken mug.

"Monica I won't. I promise," he pleaded, giving her the puppy dog face and Monica cannot say no to it.

She took a deep breath and nervously took a ring out her pocket and he watched as she slid it onto her finger.

"What is this?"

"Ross… Chandler proposed." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Monica and then at the ring again.

"I can't believe this," he said to himself.

"Ross you promised. You promised you wouldn't freak out," she pleaded

"That was before I found out that my baby sister was getting married," he hissed.

The door opened to reveal Rachel, but to her surprise no one noticed. When she saw Ross holding Monica's hand, she was even more confused.

"What's going on guys," she asked in a quiet voice. She watched as Ross gave her a quick glance before turning back to Monica.

"Please don't be mad Ross. I'm happy," she said as she gave him a reassuring smile, but it did nothing to dispel his anger.

He stood there and stared at the ring, his whole body trembling while Monica just looked on, unable to say anything.

"Is this a joke?"

The door opened again and Chandler strolled in and both women watched in horror as Ross moved towards him.

"There you are Bing!"

"Hey Ross," he said nervously.

"Take a seat," he ordered, grabbing Chandler by the arm and pushing him into a chair next to Monica.

"Ross what are you doing," Monica yelled, but he ignored her.

"So tell me why my little sister has an engagement ring on her finger Bing!"

"Because I proposed to her," Chandler said quietly. At this Monica took his hand, causing Ross to turn red with anger.

"So this is what friends do huh? First you mess around with my sister while I'm gone in London and…"

"You know I love her."

"Actually I don't!"

"This is ridiculous. You're not her dad," Chandler argued.

"But I am her brother."

"Exactly you're just her brother so leave us alone," Chandler said as he stood up. He and Ross were now face to face, both of them angry, their fists clenched, and their breathing rough.

"What kind of friend are you?"

"You really aren't the one to be lecturing about friendship. After everything you put Rachel through," Chandler added. At this Ross put his head down in shame as he took a glance at Rachel.

"Come on guys stop it. This is going way too far," Monica scolded.

Before she could say another word, Ross walked past them and reached for the door knob when he heard Rachel's voice.

"Don't go."

Ross stopped, shocked that Rachel was actually speaking to him and he turned to see a small smile plastered on her face.

"Rach you're actually talking to me," he said in amazement.

"Ross I know you're upset, but Chandler loves her. Don't you want her to be happy?"

"I do it's just… Rach she's my sister," he revealed, his voice breaking by the second.

I know she's your sister, but Chandler is also one of your best friends. Wouldn't you rather it be him than someone else?"

"Yeah I guess." Rachel pulled him in for a tight hug, holding on for dear life and relishing in the fact that she was in his arms again.

"I'm sorry guys." Rachel held on to him and they all felt relieved when Chandler walked towards them, his hand outstretched.

"It's fine. If I had a sister then I probably would've done the same thing."

"Really?"

"No," Chandler answered honestly and they all laughed.

Ross watched as the soon to be husband and wife kissed and whispered to each other about their upcoming nuptials.

"Come on Ross. They probably want some alone time together."

Ross and Rachel and congratulated them again before leaving the apartment to give the newly engaged couple some private time. Once they were outside the apartment, Ross turned away from Rachel and let out a deep sigh.

"I know it's been… awkward between us and everything, but do you want to go out for lunch? I think we need to talk and I know I've been putting it off, but I think we need to figure out what's going on between us."

She looked at him expectantly and he nodded.

"Yeah, but let's just get takeout. I think we should talk in private."

She nodded in agreement as he took her hand and led them down the stairs.

* * *

"You really think they're happy," Ross asked as he dumped their plates in the sink.

"I think they are. They've been together for a while."

"It's weird," he admitted, taking a seat on the couch and running a hand through his hair as Rachel took a seat next to him.

"He really loves her. He told me he always said he wouldn't get married, but he said Monica changed his whole view on everything."

"Yeah I guess," he sighed. He was happy for them, but it just felt strange knowing that his little sister would be getting married before him.

Rachel laid her head in his lap and made a funny face in an effort to get him to laugh.

"Come on Geller cheer up," she teased.

He smiled at her attempt and kissed her cheek.

"I missed this."

She crinkled her face in confusion and gives him a look.

"What?"

"You. Us being together like we used to."

At this she sat up and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Things changed between us Ross."

"Yeah but… can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Why didn't you tell me what Emily had said? If I would've known then I would've broken up with her sooner."

"I wanted you to be happy," she answered, her voice so low that Ross could hardly hear her.

"I was less happier because I felt like I didn't have my best friend."

"It was hard to talk talk to you because I… developed strong feelings. I couldn't talk to you as just your best friend anymore."

"I love you Rach."

"As a friend or something more?"

"I love you as my friend."

At this she frowned and she couldn't hide the disappointment. Her heart was breaking all over again.

"Oh."

"But I realized that I was in love with you and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Emily was… a mistake and that relationship almost cost me the person that I know I'm supposed to be with and… all I know is that I love you and we belong together," he finished.

She smiled to herself as a silence engulfed the room. Ross continued to stroke her hair as she played with his hands.

"You know what sucks the most?"

"What?"

"We could probably be married with kids or something," she added sadly.

"Probably," he agreed. He felt her grip on him tighten and looked over to see her giving him a very seductive stare. He did not protest when she kissed him nor did he object when he felt her on top of him, making them both sink down onto the couch as their hands began to grope each other

Only when she felt him tug at the hem of her shirt did Rachel realize that they might be making a mistake.

She broke away reluctantly and opened her eyes to find Ross staring at her.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…"

She was cut off when he kissed her with just as much passion, showing that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. When their legs became tangled he moved his mouth to her ear and felt her kiss his neck.

"Do you… want to… move this into my room," he asked. She nodded and wrapped her legs around his waist as he stumbled into his bedroom, their lips still attached.

He kicked the door open and carefully walked them over to his bed, gently laying her down as he made his on top of her.

"I love you," he whispered, making direct eye contact with her.

"I love you too," she replied as he began to strip her of her clothes. Their bodies molded together as they sunk down into the bed.

* * *

Ross collapsed next to her, his breathing shallow and rough, but his mood was lifted when he feels her cuddle up next to him.

"That was amazing," she sighed.

"I know. You're so beautiful," he said as he moved in to kiss her. She blushed as he continued to stare and she felt her heart flutter at the sight of his smile.

"Ross."

"Hmm," he responded, kissing her neck. A moan escaped her lips as she stroked his chest.

"You know I love you right?"

"I know. You know I love you too right?" She gave him a mischievous smile and crawled on top of him, resting her head in the crook of his neck as he moved a hand to her stomach.

She in turn moved her hands through his thick black hair and messes it up in the process.

"Rachel Green did you just mess up my hair," he asked jokingly and once again she giggled, making him fall for her even more.

He pulled her in for a kiss when their ears are greeted to the annoying ring of his phone. They both ignore it and continue making out, but stop when they hear his answering machine.

_"Hi Ross this is umm Emily. I know you're probably wondering why I'm calling but the truth is that I miss you. I didn't want to break up and I'm still in love with you Ross. I know you love me too and I want another chance with you. I know what I said about Rachel was bad but I know I could make you happier. It just seems such a shame to let us go to waste. We could've been engaged Ross. We could be living in London like we planned. I know I let me jealousy get in the way of us but I promise it won't happen again. I trust you and I love you. And I would love to see you again. Just call me back when you get this message so we can talk._**"**

Ross leaned back, stunned by this new round of information. He couldn't believe this was happening to him and with Rachel practically laying on top of him.

"Rach I'm so sorry about that I…" He stopped when he saw the look of confusion on her face and he began to sweat. He knew he was in trouble.

For some reason only one part of the message stuck in her mind.

_We could be living in London like we planned._

She rolled off of him and sat up slowly, replaying the message in her head and hoping that it didn't mean what she thought it had meant because if it did then Ross would have a lot of explaining to do.

"What did she mean about London?"

At this he turned away from her. Guilt was now starting suffocating him as he thought of a way to tell her.

"Ross!"

He turned to Rachel and saw the scared expression on her face. He grabbed her hands, rubbing them softly before speaking up.

"Me and Emily were planning on moving back to London."

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh before glaring at him.

"And when were you going to tell me?"

"I don't know," he said sheepishly.

As soon she heard this she pushed him off her, causing Ross to fall to to the floor with a loud thunk.

"Oww."

He rubbed his head and sat up a bit, only to be met with a pillow to the face. He covered his face as she hit him a few more times.

"How… could… you… not… tell… me… you… jerk," she said as she continued to whack him with the pillow.

"Rach I'm sorry," Ross apologized after she finally stopped hitting him. He watched as she got dressed and made her way to the door.

He quickly slid on his clothes as well and beat her to it. He blocked her way and she huffed in frustration. He felt her bury her face in his chest and knew she was crying when he felt his shirt become wet.

"Rach I'm sorry. I know I'm a idiot. I know I should've told…"

"You're a liar and you don't care about anyone else's feelings!"

"I said I'm sorry!"

"And that's just going to make everything better Ross! Were you going to even tell me?"

At this Ross stayed silent and Rachel looked at him in horror.

"You weren't going to tell me were you," she asked quietly. She backed away from him in disgust and his face crumpled.

"Rach please… just hear me out," he pleaded, but she put a hand up.

"You know what the worst thing is?" At this Ross shook his head and she continued. "You're the only person who can hurt me like this."

"Rach…"

"And watching you leave five years ago was one of the hardest things I had to deal with, harder than watching you with Emily. And to know that you were about to do it again is just…" she stopped as she started crying again, but she refused to hold on to him for support.

"Rach I'm sorry."

"You weren't going to tell me. Is that how how you wanted to start off our relationship? Lies."

"Of course not. Rach just let me explain. Please," he begged as he looked at her.

"I can't be with someone who I can't trust," she stated.

"I'm stupid, I'm really stupid, but don't give up on me. You have to fight for us."

She shook her head, more tears slipping down her cheek as she watched him fall to his knees. Just the sight of him made her kneel down at his level and she was just about to kiss him when she felt herself have a flashback to five years ago.

_"So your leaving me all alone?"_

__

"This is an amazing opportunity for me. This school is very prestigious and they really want me."

"But it's in London."

"I know, but I can't let this pass me up. Rach this is a once in a lifetime thing..."

"So your leaving," she interrupted.

_"I have to. I'm sorry. If I could I would bring you with me," he admitted._

"_I can't believe I'm not going to get to see you everyday."_

_"Me too Rach." They held each other for a while, neither letting this information fully sink in._

And she remembered how depressed she had been for months afterwards. How she had nearly failed all her classes and how she just slept and cried all day. It had taken a while to get used to the fact that he was gone, but even then she had never been right.

And she would not allow it to happen to herself again.

"I don't want you." He looked at her for a moment, trying to register what she had said.

"Rach I… I broke up with her for you. You were the main reason I came back from London. You know I would never do anything to purposely hurt you."

"I can't be with someone who I can't trust," she repeated as she stood up. "The only thing I wish is that I would've told you sooner," she said softly. She wipes a stray tear from his cheek.

"Me too," he said nodding.

At that point there was nothing he could do to convince her. They were over before it had even started.

She walked past him, trying to hold her head high, but it would not hide the look of sadness and regret, but yet she refused to let another tear fall down her cheek. Her pride got in the way and she refused to look back at him. If she did she would fall for his gaze and crawl right back into his arms.

She would not let him comfort her, he wasn't going to rescue her. She was not his to save anymore. He wasn't her prince charming.

He was just… Ross. And just the thought of that made a tear slip down her cheek.


	11. Accidents Will Happen Part 1

Distance had been essential in letting them deal with the incident. The first week they hadn't spoken to each other and both had attempted to avoid the other which proved impossible since they were roommates. Ross had apologized repeatedly but to no avail. Rachel was still angry with him and said she could not trust him. He had given up hope and after a while and tried to accept that they were just friends.

The second week had been just as brutal since Ross had gone away for a dig in China. Rachel had refused to hug him goodbye and instead gave him simple nod as she watched him board the plane. It had taken only a few hours for her to completely break down. She felt guilty for pushing him away and deep down she knew that she would never truly look at him as just her best friend. She had leaned on Monica and Chandler for support while he was gone and had thrown herself into work, but even that could not take away the loneliness she experienced.

The next three weeks were even worse for her and it wasn't just because of him leaving. She had come down with a nasty stomach virus, but the unusual thing was that it would usually occur in the morning and around certain foods. She had thought it over in her head about what could possibly be the reason and only one thing came to mind, but as soon as it had entered her head, the sooner she had pushed it out. She had convinced herself that she would be fine and just waved it off.

Soon afterwards Ross had come back and she was much more willing to bond with him again. They had spent time together and everything seemed like it was back to normal. Well not exactly normal, but somewhat.

Of course both of them would let their minds dwell on that night, but they just tried to forget about it. Little did they know that it would come back to haunt them.

* * *

"That's the third time this week you've ran out on a meeting. I'm sending you home and don't come back until your fully recovered." Rachel rubbed the side of her head, feeling an oncoming headache before looking at her boss with pleading eyes.

"But Mr. Zelner I…" He held up his hand and she fell silent once again.

"No buts Rachel. I will not have you getting sick in front of my bosses too," he scolded.

"But this meeting is too important. I can't miss it," she protested. She flipped open the folder and showed the papers she had been working on.

"Your assistant can fill you in when you come back. Rachel you're ill and you need to stay home." She shook her head in refusal. She was never one to get sick and she was determined to convince him to let her stay.

"I can't miss this. I've been working on this charts for months."

"Rachel you're sick. Take some time off. Besides you need the vacation time."

"I do not need vacation time. I need to come to work," she argued.

"Now that's the kind of a attitude I wish some of your coworkers had. When you figure out your mystery illness and come back we'll talk about a promotion." He gave her a small smile before leaving her office. She pouted before grabbing a few papers and her purse before stomping out.

"I never get sick," she muttered to herself. She was so mad about being sent home that she didn't even bother taking a taxi. On the way she walked past a pharmacy and she stopped, wondering if she should go in before deciding against it and continuing her walk.

When she finally made it into their apartment she was hit by the smell of something cooking and greeted to the sight of Ross shuffling around in the kitchen. He saw her and they shared a small smile and he turned off the stove. She had only taken one step into the kitchen and almost instantly she felt another wave of nausea hit her.

"Not again," she groaned. Ross turned to her and led them to the couch while Rachel tried to resist the urge to vomit.

"Why are you home so early?"

"My boss sent me home," she whispered as her face started to pale. At this he frowned and moved a hand to her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't feel good… oh god," she gasped as she looked up. He watched in shock as her face turned a sickly greenish color. She covered her mouth and sprinted to the bathroom while Ross watched in disbelief. He ran after to her, but she had slammed the door behind her. The sound of her retching made him cringe and he banged on the door.

"Rach," he yelled as he banged on the door. When he didn't hear her respond back he put his ear to the door and could hear the toilet flushing. The door swung open to Rachel who's face was as white as ghost. Her eyes were brimming with tears and he immediately pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey don't cry. It's okay," he whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly. She closed her eyes as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I feel horrible," she groaned. He helped her back into the living room and onto the couch and gave her sad look before he smoothed out her hair a little.

"How long have you been feeling like this?"

"The whole week, but you wouldn't know since you just got back."

He put a hand to her forehead and studied her face closely.

"Well you have a slight fever. Do you want me to take you to the doctor?"

"Yeah," she agreed as he helped her to her feet. "I'm going to go change first," she said going to her bedroom. She went straight to her closet, pulling out a pair of her favorite jeans and a tank top and was overcome with another wave of nausea, but waved it off and headed to the bathroom.

Rachel let out a sigh of frustration when she noticed how she could not fit her jeans anymore. She spent the next 10 minutes trying on every pair, but it seem that they all were a size too small. She finally decided on sweats and stormed out the room. She was in a foul mood and she just wanted to figure out what was wrong with her. She made her way into the living room and saw Ross waiting for her. He gave her small smile and she felt some of her anger dissipate.

"All set?" She nodded as he took her hand and led them to the coat rack.

"Thanks for helping me out Ross."

"I would do anything for you," he whispered as he led them out the door, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Rachel waited for her doctor to get back with her results and nervously whistled when the door finally opened. Her doctor strolled into the room with a folder and took a seat across from Rachel.

"Well Rachel you are certainly not ill. You're actually really healthy for your age." At this Rachel frowned. If she was healthy then why was she getting sick so frequently?

"I don't understand. If I'm healthy then why do I feel like this?" At this her doctor coughed uncomfortably and opened the folder and let her eyes scan the paper.

"Well that's the thing Rachel. You see I was pretty suspicious of your symptoms when you first told me, but the ultrasound scan helped confirm it."

"I still don't understand," Rachel repeated.

"Rachel you've been experiencing morning sickness, you've been sensitive to certain foods, and you've gained weight because... you're pregnant."


	12. Accidents Will Happen Part 2

"Excuse me."

Her initial reaction was shock and then she just sat back in her chair with wide eyes before shaking her head in disbelief. Yes she hadn't been feeling like herself lately, but that didn't mean she was pregnant. It had to be something else. There was no way that she, Rachel Green was pregnant. It had to be a mistake. Because if she was pregnant then that meant that Ross was the father and just the idea of them having a baby was laughable. When the doctor saw that Rachel was in a state of disbelief she pulled the computer screen closer to them and pointed to the blurry image.

"This is the scan of a pregnant woman. About 5 or 6 weeks from the size and development," she mused while Rachel studied the screen before she finally saw it. It was tiny and barely noticeable, but she could see it. Her baby, their baby.

"No," she whispered to herself in horror. She practically jumped out of her chair and stood in front of a mirror and put a hand to her cheek. She examined herself and saw that she did look like she had put on weight, but her stomach looked perfectly normal, flat as always. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.

"This has got to be a mistake. I'm not pregnant," she said looking at her doctor.

"Now don't be alarmed. Pregnancy is…" the doctor started but Rachel blanked out. Her thoughts were consumed of babies and Ross and she immediately paled at the thought of him. A tear escaped her eye as she thought of his reaction. Would he be happy or scared? Would he even believe that she was pregnant with his child? She nonchalantly moved a hand to her stomach and slowly closed her eyes. She was absolutely terrified. Of course she wanted children one day, but she knew absolutely nothing about babies. The most she knew was that they pretty much slept all the time.

"How did this happen," she blurted out loud as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. Her doctor handed her a bottle of vitamins and Rachel looked up.

"Make sure to take these every morning," the doctor said. She gave Rachel a small smile, but she just put her head down in embarrassment and shook her head.

"This is insane."

"Not to be nosy or anything but is the father the man who you came in with, the one with the hazel eyes?" Rachel nodded as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"Yeah."

"Well I think you and Ross will be great parents," her doctor added as she went to the door. At this Rachel lifted her head in shock and confusion.

"How do you…"

"Oh he introduced himself to me. One of the nurses told me he couldn't stop talking about you. He's so sweet and polite."

"That's Ross," Rachel said with a hint of a smile.

"Well I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Congratulations," she said again as she shook Rachel's hand once more and exited the room, leaving Rachel all by herself. She took one final deep breath and one last look at herself before she headed out of the room and almost instantly Ross was at her side.

"Are you okay? What's wrong," he asked. She could see the worry and concern that was visible in his eyes and she decided she would tell him the big news later. She wouldn't want him to have a heart attack in the middle of the doctor's office.

"Everything is… fine."

"That's great Rach." She smiled as he pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back soothingly. She glanced at the bottle of prenatal vitamins in her hand and once again her face went pale.

She was pregnant with his child.

* * *

He opened the door to their apartment and watched as she made her way to the couch. Ross joined her on the couch and flipped on the tv. Every so often when he wasn't looking she would move a hand to her stomach and smiled at the thought of their baby. She scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and sighed as she took in his scent.

"I'm glad you're okay Rach. I was worried." He gave her a smile and she felt herself melt a little. Why was it that all he had to do was smile and she was under her spell? She moved a hand to her stomach again and grinned. That was exactly why she was in the situation she was in.

"Me too."

"I think we should have a movie night tonight. We haven't had one in months."

"Yeah sure. Whatever," she sighed

"Rach are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm great," she muttered in fake enthusiastic tone which Ross noticed.

"You seem a little quiet. Are you sure everything is okay with you?" She nodded at his question, refusing to look him in the eyes and he frowned.

"Perfect."

"I know everything has been crazy between us the last few weeks and everything, but you can tell me if something's wrong. You know I love you right?" He gave her intense stare and she felt herself drown in his puppy dog eyes.

"I know." She gave him a small smile before turning her attention to the television.

Two hours later Rachel was cuddled up next to Ross. His eyes were fixed on the television screen, but Rachel couldn't think of anything but the baby. He glanced at her and saw that she was staring at her feel and nudged her shoulder lightly.

"Rach."

She ignored him, her thoughts still consumed of the baby and he coughed loudly when she didn't respond.

"I'm sorry. Just thinking." She moved her hands to her face and felt a mixture of emotions and she was unsure of how to handle them. Ross, knowing her so well, grabbed her hands and she looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Rach what's wrong?" She suddenly stood up, ignoring him once again.

"I have to pee."

"Again? That's like the 3rd time in a hour." She shook her head and mad her way to the bathroom where she stood in front of her mirror and her eyes flew to her shirt. She smiled because she felt protective of their baby already. Her motherly instincts were already kicking in.

She didn't care if the baby was unplanned and she didn't care about the fact that she knew absolutely knew nothing about children. All that mattered was that she was going to be a mom to a beautiful little girl or boy in nearly 8 months and Ross would be their father and just the thought of a baby with his eyes calmed her and she felt her nerves ease a little. There was not a doubt in her mind that Ross would be a loving father. Her hand flew back to her stomach. They were having child. A piece of him and her.

She looked at her stomach one final time in the mirror before leaving out. When she saw Ross on the couch with two glasses of wine. Her heart dropped. How would she be able to explain that she couldn't drink alcohol?

When Ross saw her he smiled and made his way toward her while Rachel panicked.

"I brought you some wine," he said handing her a glass. In one moment it was in her hand and the next it had been thrown down, spilling it on Ross's shirt. She looked up at him to apologize, but he had raised his hand up, interrupting her.

"Rach you have to tell me what's wrong. When we left the doctor's office I knew you weren't telling me the truth, but I didn't want to upset you, but it's really starting to bother me," he finished.

"Ross… it's just really big news and I wanted to wait because I'm still adjusting to it and I really don't want you to freak out on me."

"Just tell me now. You'll have to eventually."

She looked at him. His eyes burned into hers and she knew it was time, but it still didn't take away from how nervous she felt.

"I'm… I found out today that I'm…" She shook her head and put her head down. "I'm sorry I can't."

"Rach it's me. Remember the promise we made after I came back from China?"

"No more secrets," she answered.

"Yeah and you can tell me." He gave her a reassuring smile that melted her heart and she nodded.

"I just… promise you won't leave. This involves you as much as it does me and I can't handle this without you." She wiped the tear from her eye before taking a deep breath.

"I promise Rach."

She held his hand in hers, playing with his fingers for awhile and remained silent. She had never been more terrified in her life and was trying the find the right words to tell him that he would be a father.

"Remember what we did about a month ago? Right after we found out that Chandler and Monica were engaged and we talked about… stuff." At this he blushed red at the memory of making love to her and he nodded.

"Yeah." She reached into her purse and tossed him the prenatal vitamins her doctor had given her. He caught it and looked up at her with a confused look.

"What's this?"

"Ross read it," she said slowly. She watched his eyes scan the bottle and watched as he mouthed the words. He frowned and repeated the words and she watched nervously.

"Prenatal," he said to himself before looking up at her. "Why are you taking these? You're only supposed to take these if your…" He stopped in mid-sentence and turned pale before looking up at her for an explanation. As soon as he saw the tears in her eyes he started to panic.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered softly. His face crumpled and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Rach please tell me these aren't for you. This is a joke right?" The bottle of vitamins slipped from his hands as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm pregnant Ross," she said slowly, a tear falling down her cheek.

He didn't speak or make any sudden movement but just blinked at her. A long and awkward silence invaded the room as they sat on the couch. Only when she heard his breathing become shallow did Rachel turn to Ross and she covered her mouth when she saw his face turning so pale that he resembled a ghost.

"Ross!"

"I can't breathe," he gasped as he sprinted to the window.

"Are you okay," she asked moving a hand to his shoulder. She was surprised when he jerked away from her.

"Why would I be okay Rachel! My best friend is pregnant with my baby! I'm such an idiot," he whispered and she frowned.

"Ross I was freaked out too, but…"

"Hey I'm not freaked out! I'm just coping with the fact that I'm an idiot." She watched as he walked in circles, muttering to himself.

"You of all people are not a idiot."

"If I was smart I wouldn't have done something like this!"

"You mean sleep with me," she asked bitterly and he looked at her.

"That's not what I meant. I just never thought this would happen. We used a condom," he said to himself, but she shook her head at this.

"No we didn't. We got carried away I guess."

"That makes me feel so much better," he said sarcastically. He made his way back to the couch and she followed after him.

"Ross wait…"

"How long have you known?" He question came off as more as a command and she was instantly taken back by his tone. When he saw her reaction he took her hand and squeezed it affectionately before she continued.

"I just found out today and I was just as surprised as you, but everything makes sense now doesn't it? The morning sickness, sensitivity to certain foods…"

"And the mood swings," Ross added. She rolled her eyes at this and continued.

"I'm scared about how I'm going to look and what I'm going to do because I'm going to be someone's mom in about 8 months and I need you to be there for me because this is our baby and whether you like it or not you're going to be a father," she said quickly.

She cautiously moved his hand to her stomach and that was all it took before he blacked out.

* * *

He blinked his eyes again. A face was coming into focus and he was relieved to see a nervous, but smiling Rachel.

"Welcome back." She gave him a smile before helping him up and walking him towards the couch. She sat down next to him, her eyes wide with concern for him.

"Ugh," he groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Are you okay? You were out for like 20 minutes."

"I'm fine. The question is are you okay?"

"Well we're fine thanks for asking," she said as she ran a hand over her stomach. He looked at her stomach before he finally glanced up at her.

"I can't believe this."

"I know."

"I mean this is us Rach. I never thought I would find out that I was having a child like this." At this Rachel nodded, trying to not let herself burst into tears with every passing second.

"I thought about it. I thought about adoption, but I know I wouldn't be able to do it. It's our baby you know …," she said pausing. He nodded at her words and she continued. "And I love our child already," she stated.

"Yeah… I guess."

"If you don't want to be involved then I won't force you. All of this is just… a shock I guess and I get that, but if you're not ready to be a father then…"

"You honestly think I would let you do this alone?" She could see the look of hurt on his face and her expression softened.

"I don't know what to think anymore. I've never seen you pass out. I don't know if you want to keep it or not."

"I would never tell you to give up our child Rachel," he stated.

"I didn't know if you would be willing to deal with it. A baby is a lot of work and everything and we have to give up our entire life. It won't just be about me or you anymore. We have to be responsible for someone else. We'd be someone's mom and dad and I don't know about you, but that creeps me out a little," she added.

"I realize that Rachel and I want to be involved too."

"You do," she asked in disbelief.

"I've always wanted to be a father. Yeah this is a surprise, but it's great news. How many people get to say they're having a child with their best friend," he said smiling.

"I'm glad you're happy about this," she smiled as she took his hand. "It means the world to me that you're being so supportive."

"I'm the dad. I'm supposed to do this. Rachel it's not just your job to take care of this baby just because you're the mother. We both helped to create it so we both have the honor of taking care of it."

"It's just amazing. I mean I'm having a baby with you," she squealed and he smiled.

"I know," he said kissing her cheek

"You're really not mad?"

"Well I'm shocked and happy," he said trailing off. "I'm still wondering how this happened." Rachel held his hand and he looked back at her. She lifted her shirt up a bit and moved his hand to her stomach, his on top of hers and their eyes started to well up with tears.

"That's our baby," she smiled as he put both hands on her stomach.

"That's our baby," he said in amazement. He put his head to her stomach and she started laughing. "I can't wait to see him or her."

"Excited?"

Ross kisses her stomach before he looked up at her and she notices that he has tears in his eyes.

"Well I'm still a little nervous, but Rach this is awesome. Our baby," he said in shock. He looks at Rachel with a smile, but he sees that she's crying again.

"Ross I'm still scared. I don't know anything about babies. I can't even change a diaper. What if I'm a horrible mother?" Ross shook his head at her and kissed her hands, making her smile a little. He tilted her head up a bit so she was looking at him.

"You are going to be an incredible mother Rachel. This baby is going to adore you just as much as I do," he said.

"But Ross I can't…."

"Shh we'll figure it out. We're in this together now. I'm not going to abandon you. I promise I'll be a great father Rach." She smiled at this and nodded at his statement.

"I know you will." Rachel got up and Ross welcomed her with open arms.

"Thank you."

"No. Thank you Rachel, you're having our baby." He held on to her tighter when they heard the door open and they turned to see Monica and Chandler.

"Hey guys we're about to go to the movies… what happened," she asked when she saw Rachel wrapped in Ross's arms.

"Yeah Rach. I haven't seen you this happy since Ross dumped Emily," Chandler joked. At this Rachel turned very red while Monica and Ross chuckled.

"Well I… actually Ross and I have some big news. Life changing news. It affects you guys too."

"Are you guys getting married," Monica blurted out.

At this Ross and Rachel looked at each other and frowned. "Do you want to tell them or should I," Ross asked.

"Tell us what," Monica pleaded.

"You can tell them," Rachel smiled.

"Tell us what," Monica yelled.

"Guys come here," Ross said slowly. Monica and Chandler looked at each other and shrugged. The did so and Ross grabbed both of their hands and moved it to Rachel's belly. Monica looked down at her hand before looking up at Rachel, a smile forming.

"Oh my god! No way!" Ross and Rachel nodded while Chandler just looked confused.

"Okay so what was the point of that?"

"In about 8 months we're going to have a new addition to the group."

"Your getting a dog," Chandler asked and Monica smacked his arm while Rachel rolled her eyes.

"She's pregnant dummy!" Monica began jumping up and down in excitement as she hugged Rachel tightly.

"Oh," Chandler said and smiled at them. "Aww you guys are going to have a little Ross," he joked before pulling them in for a hug. "Congrats."

"Thanks," they responded simultaneously.

"I'm going to be an aunt," Monica yelled excitedly.

"Hmm so you guys hooked up. You must have gotten carried away."

"A little," they replied, blushing.

"Rach you mind if I take the daddy to be out for a drink? This calls for a celebration."

"I don't mind. Just don't come back drunk Ross," she said hugging him and kissing his cheek.

"See you sound like a mommy already. Bye sweetie," Chandler said kissing Monica while Ross turned to Rachel.

"Bye Rach," he said kissing her cheek before Chandler dragged him away.

"Okay so forget the wedding plans. We have to start planning. This is the first Geller baby in years," Monica barked.

As Rachel watched Monica make notes and plans for the baby she couldn't help, but rub her stomach gently as she thought of their child.


	13. Wedding Bliss

**Thanks for reviewing guys. I really appreciate it.**

Ross smiled to himself as he watched his best friend and sister kiss for the first time as husband and wife. It had taken him awhile at first, but he could now see how much the two loved each other and his heart just swelled with happiness for them, but there was just one person who he could not take his off of. Standing just a few feet away from him was Rachel. She too had a beaming smile plastered on her face, but he saw her stealing a few glances at him. Nearly 2 months had passed since they had found out that they were expecting and at 3 months pregnant she had managed to captivate all of his attention.

Since her stomach was starting to really take form she and Monica had decided on a flattering periwinkle blue dress. Her hair had been swept up into a neat bun with a few strands to frame her face and a pregnancy glow was definitely present and Ross could not take his eyes off her. It had been an interesting ceremony since she was maid of honor and he was the best man. The look on his face had been priceless when they had walked down the isle together, but he could not help it. With every passing day he fell more in love with her. He watched as Rachel glanced at him once again and they both shared a smile.

An hour later at the reception Rachel sat a table and watched as the bride and groom danced with each other, completely oblivious to everyone else but each other.

"Here's your water," Ross said as he handed her a cup and took a seat next to her.

"Thanks."

They both took a sip from their drinks and watched as Chandler twirled Monica. He whispered in her ear and Monica let out a loud chuckle. They kissed once again and Ross and Rachel both smiled when they saw the look of love and devotion apparent in their eyes.

Ross stole a quick glance at Rachel and fell into a dream like state. He could never forgive himself for screwing up their chances of being together and every night he went to sleep it bothered him tremendously. It had taken just a few seconds to almost completely demolish their lifelong friendship, but in his mind he would never stop picturing her a just his friend that was having their child. She would always be the woman who would have his heart.

"They look so happy," Rachel whispered and they both watched as the newlyweds moved across the dance floor.

"I know," he agreed. He rubbed his hands together nervously as he stood up." You want to dance," he asked nervously. She gave him a small smile and took his hand as he lead them towards the other couples. He looked at her

hesitantly as he moved a hand near her waist. Rachel immediately settled herself in his arms and rest her head against his chest while Ross savored the moment as long as he could.

"You look so beautiful Rach." She blushed at this and buried her face in his shoulder, amazed that he still thought she was beautiful even though she had put on some weight.

"That means a lot coming from you." She smiled when she felt him kiss her forehead and her grip on him became even tighter.

"I mean it. You look gorgeous."

"So I don't look fat," she asked. At this he shook his head before moving a hand to her stomach and resting his on top of hers.

"You're having our baby. You could never look anything less than beautiful." They swayed to the music and held each other for the remainder of the song when it changed and a smile crept onto both of their faces when they heard the familiar lyrics

_See the stone set in your eyes  
See the thorn twist in your side  
I wait for you…_

"Ross it's our song." They continued to sway to the music and Rachel was surprised when he started to whisper along with the song.

"I can't believe you remember the lyrics." It had been many years since she had listened to the song since her prom night.

"Well we did dance to at prom."

"Oh yeah. You looked so cute in your tuxedo," she teased.

"And I don't now?"

"Well you look very handsome now," she said smoothing out his hair. She gave him another smile and rest her head on back his shoulder. They stayed attached to the hip for the remainder of the song and when it was over they reluctantly broke apart and walked towards their table when their ears were greeted to a loud growl. Ross looked over at Rachel and gave her a questionably look while her face turned pink with embarrassment and she covered her face.

"Oh my gosh that was so embarrassing. Ross stop laughing," she scolded as she hit his chest. He walked her to their table and left to get her food and as soon as he's gone Monica takes his seat

"Are you having a good time? I don't want people say this was a boring reception…"

"Oh no it's great Monica. I'm just a little tired," Rachel admitted. At this Monica smiled as she took a glance at Rachel's stomach.

"Hang in there. You only have six months to go." At this Rachel gave her a weak smile and shook her head.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to be able to fit into anything. I was already struggling with this," Rachel said as she gestured to the stretching material of her dress. "But enough about that, how does it feel to be Mrs. Bing." At this Monica beamed with pride and took another look at her wedding band.

"It's weird. I don't feel like I'm married. Maybe I'm still in shock that I'm actually someone's wife."

Rachel eyes welled with tears as she watched Monica's face light up with excitement as she pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm so happy for you. Ross is too."

"Well that's good. When we we were standing at the altar I thought he would hit Chandler or something." Rachel felt herself become more emotional as a few more tears escaped her eyes. Monica's expression softened as she pulled Rachel in for another hug.

"Aww Rach you don't have to cry."

"It's not that… it's just these damn pregnancy hormones. I've been having mood swings the last week," she said as she wiped her eyes.

"My poor brother," Monica laughed. At this both women glanced over at the man in question who was at the buffet table and the saw Ross pat Chandler on the back.

"Are you excited for your honeymoon?"

"Yup. One week in Italy, but as soon as we get back we can go shopping for the baby. How has my niece or nephew been?"

"Great. Everything is going perfect so far," Rachel smiled.

"And your not freaking a out? If I were you I would be terrified."

"Well we both were at first, but it's gotten better. Ross has been talking nonstop about baby names and what color to paint for the nursery and everything."

When do you find out the sex?"

"It should be around Valentines day. So it won't be too long." Rachel tore her attention away from Monica and to Ross who has spilled something. Rachel chuckled and when he spotted her laughing he shook his his head and smiled.

"I swear he can't go 5 minutes without knocking something over. You better hope that kid doesn't get his clumsiness. He always got himself into trouble when we were younger."

"Oh yeah I remember. That's why my father doesn't like him. He knocked over some expensive vase and he's hated him ever since."

"Rach what did he say when you told him you were pregnant?"

At this question Rachel frowned. When she had told her father that she was expecting, he had been the opposite of happy.

"He didn't take the news well at all Monica. He starting yelling that I'm too selfish and irresponsible to take care of a baby. He went ballistic when I told him Ross was the father so I hung up on him. We haven't takes since," she finished sadly.

"I'm sorry Rach," Monica said as she gave her a sympathetic look.

"My mom took the news better, but I think everything will turn out fine in the end. Besides your parents have been really supportive. Your mom was so happy was so happy when Ross told her."

"Well it makes sense. She adores you and she adores Ross so it's the perfect combination. But I still think she wishes you two were together. She said you guys would be perfect for each other."

"Hmm yeah," Rachel said to herself. She watched Ross make his way back and she felt herself become flustered.

"The way he looks at you Rachel, it's obvious that he's in love. He couldn't stop staring when we were at the altar. I just wish you knew how much he adores you."

"I adore him too Mon."

"Then why won't you…"

"Because our friendship means everything to me and I'm not going to let anything ruin it."

"So you're telling me that you don't want to be with him because you're scared it wouldn't work out."

"It's not just that Mon. We've been best friends since we were both little kids and we're having a baby and I couldn't risk losing him. Not for anything."

"So you would rather see him marry him someone else? Is that what you want? Because I bet his girlfriend or wife is going to end up being your kid's step-mom."

"You know I don't want that." Rachel watched as Ross dropped something else, but she did not smile.

"That's what's going to happen Rach. He loves you, but if you don't do anything about it then someone else is going to come and steal him away. Just like Emily almost did." Monica gave her a pat on the back and left to go engage in a conversation with a few relatives. Rachel thought about Monica's words before looking up when she saw Ross carrying two plates of food and she couldn't help but smile.

"I got you a sample of everything. If you don't like any of this then I can go get you something else… Rach what's wrong? Is it the baby," he asked in a worried voice. He face paled when she didn't speak and she felt bad for giving him a scare.

"Nothing's wrong. The baby is fine," she said in a reassuring voice, but he was still not satisfied.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm perfect." He noticed the sullen expression on her face right away and had took her hand.

"Rach what's wrong because I…"

"Dance with me," she blurted out. He looked at her, confused, but she grabbed his hand and lead them back to the dance floor before he could say anything to object. Just like before she rest her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

"I thought you were hungry," he whispered in her ear, sending chills through her body. She sighed to herself at the affect he still had on her. Why was it that everything he did was sexy?

"No I just want to be with you, in your arms," she said softly.

Ross accepted her answer and moved his hand back to her waist and smiled when he felt her wrap her arms around his neck. He kissed her forehead and they stayed in each other's arms for the rest of the night.

**By the way the song I used is With or Without You by U2**


	14. Two Valentines

**Okay so the next few updates will be going through Rachel's pregnancy pretty quickly, but it's for a reason. She's about 18 weeks in this update so about 5 months along. Thanks for the reviews guys and I'm trying to catch all the typos I can find so sorry if you do see any.**

Valentines Day. A day of romance and love. Ross had been thinking of Rachel all day, but unfortunately for the both of them they had to work. What made Ross's day even worse was that he had a student who seemed to have a great infatuation with him and was intent on seducing him and she seemed to think she would have a better shot on Valentines Day.

"Professor Geller are you sure you have to leave?"

"Yes umm actually I have someone to go home to." He was hoping that after a while that she would give up, but she was determined to keep him there. She took a step closer when she saw him turn his back on her.

"But you said you don't have a girlfriend and if you had a wife you would be wearing your wedding band," she said gesturing to his hand. At this he shook his head in frustration at and gathered his papers from his desk when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" He glared when he saw the seductive look she was giving him.

"Oh come on Professor. We both know you think I'm attractive," she purred as she batted her eyelashes at him. Before he could even say anything she had pushed herself on him. He was too stunned and shock to move and he felt his breathing become uneven when he saw that her lips were only inches from his. When he glanced at the picture of him and Rachel from Monica and Chandler's wedding he stopped her.

"For the last time I am not interested. I'm your professor and what you are doing is extremely inappropriate and I will be forced to report you if you don't stop making these advances," Ross stated in a stern voice.

"But Ross I…"

"I want you to refer to me as Professor Geller only. Now could you please gather all your things and leave my classroom." She looked back at him with widened eyes and shock and her cheeks were red with embarrassment. She gathered her books and quickly made her way out the classroom.

Ross took let out a deep sigh when he heard the door close behind her and sat in his chair and ran a hand through his hair as he let his mind process what had just happened. He glanced at two pictures that sat on his desk.

One was a picture of the baby from a recent sonogram. He smiled at this and picked up the photo and studied the blurry black and white image. He would never forget how he had felt when he had seen their baby for the first time. It wouldn't be too long before he was a father.

And then he glanced at her picture. It had been taken at the wedding and he had never seen Rachel look so beautiful. Just the thought of seeing her lightened his mood and he could not wait to go back home.

* * *

"Rachel make sure to have those files on my desk by Monday."

"Yes Mr. Zelner." She turned back to her computer and began to type up the file and yawned for about the 10th time that hour. She looked over and watched as her assistant kissed her boyfriend and she sighed sadly. She could not remember the last time she had been dateless on Valentine's Day. Throughout the morning she had watched her female coworkers be sent flowers, candy, and jewelry.

She huffed in frustration as she watched another woman walk past her desk with a bouquet.

But why was she complaining? That could be her. She could be the one giggling over the bouquet of lilies her boyfriend had sent her or giddy with excitement with the romantic dinner that would be happening tonight, but she wasn't. She was the one who had told Ross that they should be friends so she couldn't feel the least bit of resentment to any couple that walked past her.

Then again she could not ignore the loneliness that was starting to consume her and being surrounded by annoyingly adorable couples did not make her feel any better. She gathered up her things and her purse and made her way to the elevator where she saw a man proposing to his girlfriend.

"Oh for the love of god," she hissed as she stormed past them. She angrily pressed the button to the elevator when she felt her phone vibrate. She reached into her purse and read the message displayed on the screen.

**I might not make it home until tonight so don't worry if I come in late. Make sure to get some rest today. See you soon and Happy Valentines Day - Ross.**

Great. Now her only companion on Valentines Day was going to be gone all day.

"I guess it's just you and me," she whispered to her stomach.

* * *

Ross closed the door to the apartment as quietly as he could and tiptoed to Rachel's bedroom. The lights were off, but sunlight streamed from the window. He watched as she turned in her bed and he made his way closer.

"Rach are you up," he whispered. She sat up when she heard his voice and looked to see him taking a seat on the edge of bed. "What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?"

"That and other things," she responded sadly as she blinked back tears.

"Why are you sad? Is my baby not treating you well," he joked, trying to get her to smile, but his plan did not work.

"It's Valentine's Day and I have no one to spend it with. I know I sound spoiled and everything…"

"No it's perfectly normal. Actually I have a surprise for you," he added as he moved from her bed. At this she sat up excited and anxious to see what he had gotten her. He left, but within a few minutes he was outside her door.

"What is it?"

"Just close your eyes Rach and no peeking." She covered her eyes, getting more excited by the minute, and waited for him. She listened as his footsteps became louder and she was certain he was close when she felt his breath against her lips.

"Okay you can open your eyes now." When she removed her hands she covered her mouth as she gaped at him. She was shocked and flattered and tears were already starting to form.

He was in front of her on his knees, holding a bouquet of lilies and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Ross you are the sweetest…"

"Will you be my Valentine?" She smiled when she was how nervous he was, but he had no reason to be because she was absolutely smitten with him. She nodded her head enthusiastically and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You are the most amazing man I have ever met," she gushed.

"So is that a yes?"

"Definitely."

"Well if you love that then you'll love what else I have planned."

"What else do you have planned," she asked eagerly.

"You'll see, but first we have to get dressed. It's a very fancy place and I think you'll like it very much," he added as he helped her out of her bed. "Oh and here's one of your other presents." She squealed like a little girl when he retrieved a life size teddy bear and handed it to her.

"I've never gotten one of these," she revealed as she hugged the bear tightly. He kissed her forehead and moved a hand to her stomach when he saw how happy she was. She hugged the bear even tighter as she beamed at him.

"You deserve the best Rachel and it's the least I could do," he said rubbing her belly.

"Thank you so much Ross. You didn't have to do all of this."

"Of course I did Rach, but seriously you might want to start getting ready. I don't want us to be late." She nodded at him before rushing into her bathroom.

A few hours later Ross sat in their living room waiting for Rachel and he was starting to get impatient, but he soon heard the click of her heels coming down the hallway and stood up.

"You know Rach we probably won't even have to worry about going since we probably won't get there until after the place closes. I mean how long does it take to…." He stopped in mid sentence when he finally saw her and stared at the woman in front of him for a solid minute. The black dress she wore showed off her baby bump nicely and displayed her curves. Her long golden hair fell in delicate curls down her back and Ross felt himself shake his head in disbelief as he made his way closer.

"So what do you think," she asked nervously.

"I'm thinking that you are the most gorgeous women I have ever seen," he whispered as he moved a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Thanks Ross," she said as she turned two shades of red.

He lent out his arm cautiously, worried that she wouldn't take it, but she put her arm through his and soon enough they were out the door.

* * *

Ross and Rachel sat across from each other as they both beamed at each other. His surprise for her had been reservations for a candlelight dinner at the Plaza. To say she was shocked was an understatement and she continued to thank him throughout the night. He watched as she took a sip of her water and twirled her hair before smiling at him.

"So how have things been at the university?"

"Nothing much. I think a student has a crush on me but…"

"What?" Ross noticed a hint of jealousy in her voice and regretted telling her.

"Umm a student of mind is umm… always staying after class and flirting and I've had to remind her a few times that I'm her professor." He noticed how tense her posture became when he revealed this and he took a nervous gulp from his glass.

"What else did she do?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. She narrowed her eyebrows and he silently cursed himself for telling her. He saw the look of sadness and worry etched on her face and frowned.

"Ross what does she…,"

"Rach I don't want this to ruin tonight. It doesn't matter because I don't even look at another woman the way I look at you." He squeezed her hand affectionately for good measure.

"Is she pretty?"

"She's nothing compared to you Rach," he stated as he ran a hand over her dress and smoothing it out. He moved a hand to the baby bump and they both shared a smile when she remembered the news she had been dying to share with him.

"Oh I forgot I have a surprise for you." She bent down and grabbed a small bag and placed it on the table.

"What is it?" He moved his hand to see what it was, but she smacked his hand away. "Oww."

"Be patient. Okay well today I called the doctor and I know we agreed that we would wait until the baby was born, but I couldn't help it. I called her and I don't think it's fair that you don't know so I bought you this," she said as she gestured to the bag.

"Can I see what's in the bag," he asked. She nodded and watched a he reached his hand into the bag. He looked up at her with excitement in his eyes, but it changed to confusion when he pulled out a baby's bib. He looked to her for an explanation and she nudged him.

"Go on! Read it!" She could barely contain her enthusiasm when she saw him mouth the words and watched as his mouth curled into a smile.

"Daddy's little girl," he said in awe. He stared at the bib for some time before he looked to Rachel with tears in his eyes. "A girl! We're having a girl!" At this she nodded proudly and her eyes also filled with tears.

Pure glee made him smile like a dummy, but he didn't care. He felt like he was on top of the world. He was having a daughter. A baby girl, their baby girl.

"Congratulations daddy. You have two Valentines." Ross smiled at her with tears in his eyes as he kissed Rachel's cheek and then her stomach. He stroked her belly gently as he looked up at her.

"My little girl."

"She is going to adore you so much Ross," she said reaching for his hand.

**I know it was unusual to do a Valentine's themed update on Halloween, but oh well. Happy Halloween everyone!**


	15. True Colors

**Sorry guys for the long wait, but school is getting crazier every week and I got sick so I haven't had much of a chance to work on the update that much, but thanks for all the reviews.**

As Rachel and Ross made their way up the driveway and to her childhood home her nerves began to worsen. She tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach since she was the one who had dragged Ross to accompany her to Long Island. They had visited his parents first who were ecstatic that they were having a granddaughter, but his mother had made it very clear that she would've loved to see the two "friends" together. So after stopping at the Geller household Rachel had decided that she wanted to see her father. They hadn't talked in months and she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen him in person.

It had been very stressful on her because she remembered that they used to have a good relationship, but of course they had always butted heads when it came to the subject of Ross. She let her mind drift back to a previous argument they had gotten into when she was younger.

_"Where the hell have you been young lady! Your mother and I have been worried sick!" Her father stood up from his armchair and made his way to her and Rachel almost laughed when she saw how red his face was and decided to play stupid._

__

"I'm fine dad. It's only 11:49," she said innocently.

"Exactly my point young lady! You're only 15 years old and it's a school night!"

"I'm 17 and thanks for remembering," she scoffed. She rolled her eyes at him which only caused Dr. Green's face to turn red.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me young lady!" Rachel shook her head at him and took a spot on the couch.

"Why does it even matter? I got home safe and sound."

"Because you are still underage Rachel! The fact is that you have a curfew which ended 2 hours ago! We didn't even know where you had gone."

"We only got back late from the city because of the traffic."

"We? Rachel Karen Green please tell me you were not with that Geller boy!" Rachel rolled her eyes again at this. She would never understand why her father was so hostile towards Ross.

"Daddy we didn't do anything. Ross made sure…"

"I knew it! I knew he was a bad influence on you! Sneaking out, coming back past curfew, talking back to me and your mother. That boy is nothing but trouble!"

"Daddy you've known Ross since we were little kids," she argued. At this he shook his head and took a seat opposite from her in his armchair.

"Yes and that's exactly my point. That boy is nothing but trouble."

"Ross is not trouble. He always helps me with my homework and tutors me."

"And why do you think he does that Rachel? Boys his age only have one thing on their mind."

"Daddy you know Ross isn't like that."

"All boys are like that."

"Well Ross isn't," she said defiantly. She folded her arms and pouted, but Dr. Green was done.

"I don't care Rachel. I do not want you seeing him anymore and I forbid you to contact him."

At that point Rachel was halfway up the stairs when she caught the last bit of her father's sentence and turned on her heel to look at him. She was met with an angry look and no sign sympathy in his face.

"What?"

"Oh so now I have your attention. You heard me Rachel, I do not want you talking to him anymore. He's a bad influence and I will not be dealing with it any longer." Her eyes began to fill with tears when she realized that he was serious. They had gotten into many arguments about Ross, but it had never gotten this far.

"You can't do that!"

"Just watch me!"

"Daddy that's not fair! He's my best friend!"

"Find another one!" He shook his head at her once more before leaving to go to his bedroom. She looked to her mother who had just strolled into the room.

"Mom can't you just talk to daddy? It's not fair what he's doing." Her mother just shrugged her shoulders and made her way out the room

"I'm sorry Rachel, but you heard your father."

At that she let out a loud sigh of frustration and ran up the stairs and stormed to her room. She slammed the door with such a powerful force that the noise echoed throughout the house. Her eyes watered when she caught sight of a picture frame that held a photo of her and Ross and she collapsed onto her bed.

"How could he do this to me?"

_After 15 minutes of crying she finally lifted her head up and caught site of herself. Her cheeks had tear stains and her eyes were extremely red. She groaned as she laid back down when an idea popped into her head. She was already in trouble with her father so she didn't have anything else to lose. Who cares if she got grounded? She grabbed her purse and took one last look around her bedroom. At least Ross would be happy to see her._

"Rach!" She snapped out of her daydream and saw Ross staring at her with a terrified expression.

"What?"

"I was asking if I could just stay out here. This isn't a good idea. Rachel your father hates me," Ross pleaded as he backed away from the door. He looked to her with another pleading look. He would rather be anywhere but here because he knew Dr. Green despised him with a passion and knew something was bound to go wrong, but of course she ignored this fact.

"Ross stop being such a scaredy cat."

"But Rach he hates me. Remember what happened when I came to take you to prom?"

"Yes I remember Ross and it was an accident."

"But Rach…" She interrupted him when she put her hand up and he fell silent.

"Ross stop being a baby. We're already having one now do I have to deal with you too?" She grinned to herself when he stuck his tongue out as she rang the doorbell. Her fathered appeared at the door and Ross shrunk down at just the sight of him while Rachel stepped forward to greet him with open arms.

"Daddy!" Out of all her sisters Rachel had always been closest to her father and she was always excited when she got the chance to visit.

"There's my little girl. Hmm not so little anymore I guess," he said when he noticed the baby bump. He smiled and pulled her in for a hug, but that quickly faded when he saw Ross standing behind her. He didn't like Ross as a kid and he didn't like him now.

"Hello Dr. Green." Ross nervously put his hand out and Dr. Green gave him a death stare. When he saw Ross's hand move to Rachel's shoulder his face turned red with anger. When Rachel saw her father's expression she frowned. Ever since her parents divorce his temper had only worsened and he didn't have the patience for anything or anyone.

"Daddy let's go inside and take a seat on the couch," she suggested. He nodded and escorted them into the living room, but not before he "accidentally" bumped into Ross. Ross ignored this and left to join them when he overheard Dr. Green.

"Rachel Karen Green I cannot believe you brought him here. I guess your trying to give me a heart attack."

"Daddy we wanted to tell you that we went to the doctor and we found out we're having a girl." Rachel said this in hopes of getting her father to be a little more supportive, but this new round of information does not change his feelings on Ross, who has just taken a seat on the couch.

"It does not change the fact that he's the father," he added snidely as he shook his head in disapproval. Rachel felt Ross tense up beside her and she knew she would have to speak up on him since she knew he wouldn't give Ross a fair chance.

"Daddy please be supportive for me, for us. This is your grandchild." At this statement Dr. Green finally lost his temper and stood up.

"Rachel Green I will not sit here and pretend to be happy for you when I know this whole thing is a mistake! Your mother may have given you her blessing but I will not young lady!"

"Daddy please just try and listen to me for once."

"You know out of all my children I never thought you'd do something foolish like this."

"Because nothing I ever did was good enough for you! You never were satisfied with anything! For once can't you just be happy for me? Why is everything I do never good enough for your standards?"

"Because you always end up in situations like this! I just wonder where I went wrong with you because I thought you were smart enough to not go run off and get knocked up by some guy. What the hell were you thinking?" Rachel was in tears now and Ross stood up from his seat and made his way over to them.

"Dr. Green will you please stop yelling at her. She does not need to be stressed out right now," Ross pleaded in a calm voice, but it only caused her father to turn on him.

"She's my daughter Geller and I'll talk to her any way I please!" When he saw that Dr. Green wasn't going to stop Ross lost his temper as well.

"Rachel is an adult! She can make her own decisions!"

"You stay out of this! This is between me and my daughter!"

"Actually this is between me and Rachel. All she wants is your blessing and you can't even open your eyes to see that this is a good thing." Rachel had now taken her seat on the sofa with a hand on her stomach as she watched in horror as the two most important men in her life continued to bicker. After a while she just covered her ears and tried to block it out, but the fighting continued.

"I knew you were a mistake when I first met you Geller! I must have been out of my mind to let Rachel socialize with someone like you! You were no good then and you're just as useless now! She should be focusing on her career not having a baby! You've ruined my daughter's life!"

"It takes two to make a baby Dr. Green! I would think that as a doctor you would know that," Ross snapped. Dr. Green took a step towards Ross and put a finger to his chest.

"You think you got everything figured out don't you? You may have managed to fool Rachel but I know better. You can try and convince her that this... this mistake is a good thing but..."

"Stop calling our child a mistake!"

"I'll call it what I want to call it Geller! She's my daughter and she's the one that's pregnant!"

"Yeah with our child!"

"You mean that mistake! I just hope for Rachel's sake that it doesn't take after your side of the family!" At this the room became silent and Ross trembled with anger while Rachel looked at her father in disbelief.

"Daddy!"

"I swear if you insult her one more time I'll…"

"You'll what Geller?" He tried to provoke Ross even more by giving him a smug look and it worked. He stepped forward so that he and Dr. Green were no more than a few inches away and that was all it took for Rachel to realize that the situation had gotten out of control.

"Enough!"

"Rachel Green I will not be yelled at in my own house!"

"Daddy you need to understand that Ross and I are having a child. Could you at least try to get along for the sake of the baby?"

"I'll give you my blessing if he's not in the picture Rachel."

"You cannot be serious."

"I'm not joking Rachel. If he's not in the picture then I'll give you my blessing."

"Why are you doing this to me," she asked in a quiet voice. She wiped a stray tear away as her father took her hand.

"Rachel this is the only way I…"

"No it's not! It's just another way for you to control me! I'm not 17 years old anymore and you cannot tell me what to do anymore! Ross is my best friend he's the baby's father! If you can't accept that then I have nothing left to say," she finished.

"Rachel you know how I feel about him."

"Well then you won't be seeing me or your granddaughter anytime soon!" And before her father could speak, Rachel grabbed Ross's hand and led them out the door as Dr. Green watched with a guilty conscience. Ross watched as a tear slipped down her cheek and he also feels guilty when he realizes how he let his temper take over.

"I can't believe he acted like that."

"Rach I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

"Can we not talk about this right now," she interrupted. Ross nodded as she released his hand and he watched sadly as another tear fell.

Later that night they were back in the city and Ross was lying in bed, replaying the day's events in his head when he heard a soft knock on his door. He sat up when he saw Rachel's head sticking out from behind the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure Rach." He patted the empty spot next to him and watched as she practically glided over to his bed and he couldn't help but break out a smile when he saw the baby bump underneath her shirt. She crawled into his bed and sat across from him with her legs crossed and her hair piled on top of her head.

"Tell me what's wrong?" She sighed loudly as she tore her eyes from the ceiling and looked at him directly. She had been holding in her anger and frustration all day, but she knew she could always count on Ross to give her good advice.

"It's just… for once I thought he would be happy for me and it just seems like everything I did was never good enough. I was always kind of jealous of you.

"Why?"

"Because no matter what your parents were always supportive of you and Monica. I couldn't stop thinking about how your dad hugged you when we told them that we were having a girl. My father couldn't even pretend to be happy for me.

"I'm sorry Rach," he said meekly.

"Don't be. I just really thought that he would be happy for me. This is his granddaughter and he sits there and calls her a mistake." Ross leaned over as she rest her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her belly gently.

"He'll come around."

"Do you ever regret this? Do you ever feel like this whole thing was a mistake?" Ross gave her a look of disbelief and shook his head.

"Are you kidding me? This is a blessing Rach. In 4 months we're going to have something that we created and that's all our own. We're going have a daughter and I could never think of her as a mistake. She's our baby Rachel." And for the first time that night she smiled. That smile grew even larger when she saw Ross trying to talk to their unborn child. There was not a doubt in her mind that he would make a great father.

"Do you always have to be such a great friend?"

"Well I do try," he joked. At this they both laughed and she punched his arm playfully.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight? I really don't want to be alone right now." Rachel didn't need to ask him twice because he was already nodding his head.

"Of course."

He moved over slightly as she scooted herself closet and rest her head on a pillow as Ross wrapped his arms around her while still massaging her stomach.

"Hi baby girl I'm daddy. Me and mommy can't wait to see you," he whispered as Rachel let out a chuckle.

"Ross she can't hear you."

"I know but still it's good to talk to her. Maybe if I talk to her about dinosaurs and stuff she'll be a Paleontologist. We can send her to science camp and everything," he said excitedly and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Great. Then I'll be stuck with two dinosaur lovers."

"That's a bad thing?"

"It's a wonderful thing sweetie."

"Well I hope she looks just like you Rach. She's going to be so gorgeous." Rachel smiled at this and turned her head slightly to look at him. She moved a hand to his cheek and stared deeply into his eyes.

"Well let's just hope she doesn't get your eyes. You know I can't resist them." She winked at him as she began to fall asleep.

"Good to know."

* * *

"Say cheese Rachel."

"Cheese." She gave him a beaming smile as the camera flashed. Ross looked at his camera and was starstruck by how beautiful she looked.

"Six months pregnant and you still take my breath away," Ross breathed as he continued to stare.

They had been taking pictures of her and her growing belly for their baby book. Ross looked at the previous pictures while Rachel took the camera from him and she was alarmed at how large she had gotten.

"Wow I look huge."

"But gorgeous," Ross added. She smiled at this and kissed his cheek. Rachel had been more affectionate with him ever since they had the talk with him about her father and he was slowly regaining his trust with her.

"Rach you need to get dressed. Monica and Chandler are going to be here in 10 minutes and you know how long it takes you to get ready."

"But Ross I can't fit anything," she whined.

"Okay after we're done shopping for the baby stuff then I'll take you shopping." He was surprised when she nearly knocked him over in an attempt to hug him.

"I'm so sorry. I was trying too…"

"It's okay," he chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "Come on let's get you something to wear," he said leading them to her bedroom. He opened the door to her closet and pulled out a revolting sweater.

"How about this?"

When he didn't hear her respond he turned to see her giving him an intense stare. He gulped when he saw her moved towards him and took a step backwards only to bump into a wall. She closed in the distance between them so that their lips were inches apart. Unfortunately they were interrupted by a loud knock on the front door. Rachel pouted while Ross closed his eyes, also frustrated that they had such bad timing.

"I'll go answer the door. You just find something to wear okay?"

A few hours later the group of four were at a baby store to get the last few things for the new arrival.

"Aww Rach look at this one with the footie pajamas. Look how small and adorable everything is. I just want to get everything for her," Monica gushed.

"Oh great. It's bad enough I have Ross, but not you too Monica."

"Well I want to be the cool aunt. No offense, but your sisters are probably going to get her a boat or something."

"That is true," Rachel laughed.

"Oh look at those shoes Rachel! Look how small they are!" Rachel smiled as she watched Monica continue to pick up everything in site for her niece. She glanced at a nearby aisle where she saw Chandler and Ross talking.

"So how has married life been?" At this question Monica's face lit up and Rachel already knew the answer.

"It's still weird you know, having to adjust to be someone's wife, but it's so cool when people call me Mrs. Bing. It's so different from what I thought it would be, but I love it. Just knowing you get to wake up to your best friend every morning is just… I don't know it's amazing," she finished.

"Really?"

"Definitely. Chandler is amazing and I feel like we share with each other more than when we were dating, but you know he still freaks out whenever I mention children or anything to do with babies."

"How did you get him to come here then," Rachel asked with a bit of amusement in her tone.

"I told him we were going to lunch with you guys. Why do you think he's all dressed up?" She pointed and Rachel giggled when she saw Chandler's attire.

"But enough about me how has my niece been? Has she started kicking yet?" Monica moved a hand to Rachel's stomach, but since Ross has been doing this so frequently she didn't even flinch.

"Nope, but she should start pretty soon?"

"And how have you and my brother been?"

"We've been… good I guess. If you can call it that."

"What does good mean?"

"Well you know how we went to Long Island a few weeks ago right," Rachel said looking at Monica expectantly and she continued when she nodded her head. She explained about the meeting they had with her father and the talk she and Ross had shared.

"Oh that's so sweet. Oh and look at the expression on your face. Don't deny it. You love him," Monica teased. Rachel glanced at Ross, who has picked out a lot of dinosaur toys.

"So how have things been between you and Rachel? Have you had one of your famous moments," Chandler asked sarcastically.

"Actually we did have a little moment this morning, but the timing was bad"

"Well what happened?" Ross took a deep breath and glanced out Rachel, who was holding piles of clothes in her hand and it seemed Monica had twice as many.

"We almost kissed and I swear she was mad we didn't. She's been way more affectionate the last few weeks. It's so confusing."

"Well you know what they say about pregnant woman. The hormones make them want to do it more."

"Yeah, but still…" he agreed as he gazed at her wistfully. When he saw her and Monica approach them he dropped everything in his arms which caused Monica and Chandler to snicker.

"Dude you need to relax."

He kneeled down to gather all the toys and was surprised when Rachel also kneeled down to help him. When they both grabbed onto a dinosaur stuffed toy they smiled.

"I see you picked out a lot of dinosaur stuff. You better not try to force that on her Ross," she teased.

"You know you love it." He helped her up and moved a hand to her stomach, worried about her and their daughter

He had been extremely protective of her ever since she had hit the six month mark in the pregnancy and had insisted on doing everything for her. At first she had found it flattering, but they had gotten into a few disagreements since she was so used to being independent, but both had come to an agreement. Rachel would take it easy and Ross would let her have a little bit more freedom.

"Monica and I are going to the coffee house and then we…"

"No I'll go. You stay here and finish shopping and you can meet us at the coffee house. You want a blueberry muffin right?" She smiled at how well he knew her and nodded.

"Thank you." They watched as Chandler and Monica kissed each other goodbye. Ross swore he saw her move an inch toward him before Monica grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

* * *

"Thanks for that man. I didn't know if I could take any more of the baby stuff. It's like Monica's obsessed with babies or something."

"I thought you wanted children," Ross asked as he pushed the door to the coffee house.

"I do, but… oh no. Look who it is Ross," he said. He looked to where Chandler was pointing and groaned when he saw his ex girlfriend, Emily. She stood up and walked directly towards them and a moment of silence passed before she spoke up.

"Ross I went to your apartment and you weren't there so I came here since I know you usually hang out here with your friends."

"Why were you looking for me," Ross snapped. Normally he wouldn't have been so rude, but he could not forget how miserable she had made him.

"I needed to talk to you. Chandler can you give us a moment?" Chandler looked at Ross for a second before he shrugged his shoulder and left them alone.

What do you want to talk about?"

"Can we sit first?" He nodded as she led them to a nearby table and another awkward silence passed before she spoke again.

"How have you been?"

"I've been great actually."

"That's good to hear." They had only had exchanged a few words, but he was already tired of her charade and wanted to know her reason for seeking him out.

"Okay what do you want Emily? Why after all these months are you trying to talk to me again and after what you did."

"Ross I'm sorry about that. I know I was a little controlling, but I miss you. We were great together and we were so happy."

"Until you started lying to me."

"I only did it for us."

"No you did it for yourself. You were jealous of Rachel and you wanted to get rid of her and thanks to you I almost lost my best friend," he snapped.

"And I'm sorry about that, but admit it. We were so good together and I know I had some issues with her, but I think we could make it work again."

"No we can't Emily," he stated.

"If this is about her then…"

"It is about her."

"Ross you can't just wait on her for forever. She takes advantage of you."

"She does not take advantage of me. She's amazing and…

"Yes Ross I get it, but don't you miss me?"

"Okay Emily let me set this straight for you. I do not want you. I don't even like you."

"But Ross…"

"No."

"Why not? Why can't you give me a second chance? If it was me I would give you another chance."

"Because in 3 months I'm going to be a father." At this revelation she paled before as a look of shock took over her expression. She shook her head in disbelief before looking up at him with anger.

"Who is she," she hissed.

"You know her actually."

"Rachel." He nodded his head and she rolled her eyes.

"So you break up with me and knock her up. I knew she was a…"

"I think you better watch your mouth before you insult her in front of me," Ross snapped.

"Why Ross? I bet you two aren't even together. Am I right?" He shook his head at her and stood up to leave, but stopped in his tracks.

"Rachel makes me happier than you ever did and I really think it would be the best for both of us if you didn't contact me anymore." She stood up to retaliate, but the door swung open at the moment to reveal Rachel and Monica. Emily smirked to herself and made her way over to them.

"Oh look who it is. Rachel you're as big as a house," Emily spat. She stared at Emily in shock and she turned crimson at her comment. Monica took a step forward and spoke up before Rachel could.

"Trying to beg my brother for another chance I guess. At least try to have some dignity. I though you were better than that, but I guess not," Monica added.

"And your still the same annoying little…"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Chandler took his spot next to Monica and put an arm around her. When Emily spotted the wedding bands she started laughing.

"Oh wow you two got married. I want to see how long that will last," she laughed. At this Monica remained silent, but Rachel spoke up instead.

"Jealous because you didn't get to the knot with Ross huh?"

"If it wasn't for you," she snapped angrily.

"I didn't steal him from you. You're the one who pushed him away. Too little too late Emily."

"We both know you wanted him Rachel and you got him. You steal him away from me and then get him to knock you up." Emily turned away from Rachel with folded arms. "Are you sure it's even your baby Ross. I wouldn't be too sure with her." At this everyone let out a gasp, but before Emily could comment on anything else, Rachel took the iced coffee from Gunther and tossed it on Emily and Ross stood in front of Rachel before she could do anything else.

"You…"

"Leave us alone!" A look of shock covered her face when she saw nothing but anger in his eyes, something that was unusual for him. She shot Rachel another nasty look before stalking off, her hair still dripping of coffee. There was only silence until they heard laughing and they all turned to Chandler

"I know this is a bad time, but Rachel that was so awesome," Chandler snickered. Monica smacked his arm lightly, but also cracked a smile. Ross turned to Rachel and saw that she was still trembling from anger.

"Are you okay?" She ignored his question as she made her way to the door.

"I'm perfect. I just want to go home." He grabbed her coat and followed her out and the rest of the way home was completely silent.


	16. Don't You Want Me?

**I feel like I haven't updated in forever, but last week was a bit crazy, but it's calmed down so hopefully the next update won't take forever. Thank you to everyone who continues to review. :)**

"Rachel!"

After the fiasco at the coffee house Rachel had barricaded herself in her bedroom. She claimed it was because she needed sleep, but Ross knew she was still upset from what Emily had said to her. She hadn't looked at him or spoken a word the entire way home and every time he had asked if she was okay she would just pick up the pace and walk further away. He checked his watch and shook his head. It had been five hours since he had seen her so he knocked on her door once again.

"Rach," he yelled, but still no answer.

He opened the door and was instantly enveloped in the darkness of the room. He flipped the light switch on and saw that she was buried underneath a blanket. He kneeled at her bedside and pulled back the blanket slightly and could still see the tear stains on her cheeks. He ran a hand through her hair as she began to cry again.

"You know I hate to see you cry Rach."

"It's hard not to when there's nothing to smile about."

"Rach whatever she said to you is lies okay. I know your a good person and I promise she's not going to be bothering you anymore." At his statement she stopped crying, but remained silent. "You know I don't think of you like that right?"

"I don't know."

"Rach your so much better than her, but I have to say that coffee throwing thing was pretty cool." He could see the outline of her smile and was happy that his plan was working. "I love you."

"It doesn't make sense that someone like you would date someone like her."

"Well I didn't know what kind of person she really was, but thankfully I had my favorite girl show me," he said.

"I hate her and I hate that you dated her."

"Her opinion doesn't matter. Can't you see that she's jealous of you? She always has been. Regardless if you feel the same way I'm crazy about you Rachel. Not her."

"You were in love with her."

"I was never in love with her because I was falling in love with you. I don't want anyone else."

"You say that, but how do I know that you won't meet anyone else. What if they brainwash you to leave me and our daughter?" At this he moved a hand to where their baby was still growing.

"Rachel no woman will come between us again and no one will stop me from being with you and our daughter."

"But…"

"Rachel why do you let Emily get to you? I broke up with her for a reason."

"Yeah after you almost proposed to her and not to mention the fact that you were going to move back to London," she added bitterly. That was still a sore subject between them and it hurt him to know that he could make her so upset.

"Rach I'm sorry. I'm stupid, but I just wanted to keep her happy. I didn't want to be alone. If I couldn't have you then I had to settle."

"What's wrong with being alone?"

"Nothing it's just…" He trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. She crawled from underneath the blanket and turned to him so that her eyes burned into his.

"Tell me."

"I was in London for five years. You weren't there and it was weird. We grew up together and I was so accustomed to you being there all the time that I didn't know how to function without my best friend. I was lost I guess and when I met Emily I felt kind of relieved. She reminded me of you and I was happy."

"You missed me that much?"

"Everyday I thought about you and even now I still think about how it was a mistake to leave."

"Ross that's so sweet and I really appreciate you telling me the truth. I'm glad you came back."

"Yeah and I'm here for good and I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me this time," he joked as he tickled and she burst into a fit of giggles."See that's what I like to hear." She turned to him and he was pulled into a tight hug.

"Thank you Ross. For everything." She lied back down on her bed, this time in his arms as his hand stroked her now large stomach. She felt hunger overtake her and almost instantly she heard his voice.

"Hungry?"

"How did you know," she asked with a shocked expression. He just shrugged his shoulders and let go of her and went to the door.

"I'll go get you something. I'll be back really quick." He kissed her cheek and she watched him dash out the room.

* * *

He was on his way back to the apartment after stopping to pick up Rachel dinner and stopping at the bookstore to pick up a few pregnancy books since she had been panicking the last few weeks about the baby. When he passed a jewelry store and caught sight of something shiny. He took a few steps backward and stopped in front of the display window.

A sparkling silver bracelet covered in diamonds glistened through the window. Rachel had mentioned to him months ago that she had wanted a bracelet like that for her birthday and as soon as he set his eyes on it he knew he would get it for her. He looked at the sign on the door and hurried inside when he saw that the store closed in fifteen minutes.

Back at home Rachel was lounging on the couch watching tv and coincidentally they were having a special on dinosaurs. She smiled when she thought about how disappointed Ross was going to be when he came back. She yawned as she adjusted herself. She was wearing one of his sweatshirts that she had secretly taken a few months ago, but she knew he wouldn't mind. Plus it was one of the few things that fit her at the moment.

She sat up suddenly when she felt a movement in her stomach and wondered if was the baby, but waved it off as she smiled at the television.

"Aww do you like dinosaurs like daddy," she whispered even though she knew the baby couldn't hear her.

As soon as she moved a hand to her growing belly she was overcome with tears. In just a few short months their little girl would be making her arrival and Rachel was beyond excited. She couldn't wait until she was older. They could go for family walks in Central Park and she could take her into the city for a girl's day out and prepare her when she tried out for cheerleading, but if she turned out anything like her father then she would be spending most her time at museums or going on digs with Ross.

She left the couch and made her way to the nursery and smiled to herself when she pushed the door open. Ross had insisted on decorating it all pink for his little girl, but had managed to sneak in a few dinosaur toys for her, one in her crib and another sat with the rest of the toys. He had taken it upon himself to stencil the room with princess crowns and set up the crib himself, though he had much difficulty putting it up at first.

She took a step towards the windows and watched as a soft rain began to fall. She turned away and smiled when her eyes fell on a picture frame. It read mommy and daddy held a picture of her and Ross when they were kids. She was so distracted by it that she didn't realize that Ross had come back and was now standing next to her. When she finally saw him she jumped and put a hand over her heart.

"God you scared me," she gasped. He smiled as he handed her a brown bag.

"Here's your dinner." She beamed at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you."

"Well if you loved that then you'll love what else I have." He handed her a small blue bag and she looked at him for a moment with a confused look. He watched with excitement as she reached into the bag and pulled out a rectangular box and when she pulled out the bracelet a loud gasp escaped from her lips

"Oh my god." She held up the bracelet and the diamonds glistened in the light. He put it on for her and was happy to see that it fit perfectly.

"I know your birthday isn't until a few months but I remembered what you said and I had to get it for you Rach," he confessed, but his smile disappeared when she shook her head at him and took the bracelet off.

"Ross how could you?" She looked at him and immediately his thoughts went to the worst.

"You don't like it? I thought you said that…"

"I love it and I'm so happy that you remembered, but It's just… I can't take this. I'm sorry Ross but this is way too expensive and I would feel so guilty."

"Just think of it as an early birthday present Rach."

"I can't. This is too much. You're spoiling me."

"But I want to. Rachel please take it. I got it for you," he insisted as he tried to hand it back. She shook her head at him, but he still tried to give her the bracelet back.

"Rachel…"

"I'm not taking it."

"Rach please. I'm not going to return this. It's yours now." He gave her the puppy-dog face and she was instantly under his spell. The daze she was in made her unaware of her surroundings and the only thing in sight was him. She slowly made her way to him and before he could say anything she had pressed her lips against his. After just a few seconds she realized what she was doing and quickly pulled back.

Ross still seemed stunned, but she could spot a hint of a smile forming and when she saw him take a step towards her she moved away.

"Ross… I swear I just… I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so sorry." She covered her face in embarrassment and shame, but he shook his head at her and took another step towards her.

"Rach you don't have to apologize. I kissed you back."

"I know, but that was still stupid of me. I'm the one who told you we should stay friends and now I'm sending you all these mixed signals. I'm sorry," she repeated.

"It's okay," Ross insisted as he took her hand.

"No it's not. We promised to stay friends."

"Rachel I never wanted that."

"Well I thought after a few months you would have gotten over it Ross. I mean I never told you that you couldn't date anyone else."

"You and I both know you would get jealous and don't even lie and say you wouldn't."

"You don't have to feel committed to me. You can meet other woman," she added. The last sentence hurt to say because deep down she didn't mean it, but she couldn't expect him to stay at home all the time and wait on her hand and foot.

"I would feel guilty because you would be at home, pregnant with our baby and it wouldn't be right Rachel. Why would I go out with someone when the person I'm in love with is at home?"

"Ross I…

"And it's harder now because you're having our baby and I just want to be there for you," he added sadly.

"You are there. You've been supportive of everything the entire time. You come to every doctor appointment, you practically did the whole nursery yourself, and you always make sure me and her are okay," she finished. "I couldn't ask you to be a more supportive father or friend."

"But I wanted to kiss you when we found out we were having a girl and I want to be able to say I love you when you're giving birth to her. I want us to be a family."

"She will have a family."

"She deserves a real family."

"Ross I know your upset with me, but she will have a family. Maybe it's not the traditional kind, but family is family and she'll have one regardless."

"But Rach…" he started, but she held her hand up.

"I'm sorry, but I… I can't."

"I want to make you happy Rach."

"I can't be with someone if I can't trust them."

"You're lying," he said bluntly. At this she gave him an incredulous look and then proceeded to poke him in the chest.

"No I am not!"

"When you lie your eye twitches like crazy? Rach why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying," she said as her eye twitched once again and he frowned.

"Rachel you did it again."

"Ross you're really starting to make mad and we both know that the hormones are going to make it worse," she threatened.

"We need to talk. I've been wanting to for months, but stuff came up and well… it can't wait anymore." Rachel sighed to herself angrily and rubbed her a few times before finally turning to him.

"Okay here's the thing. I thought I could trust you, but I can't anymore. You lied to me Ross."

"Rach… I made a mistake and you won't let it go," he argued."

"No it wasn't just a mistake Ross! You told me you loved me and said all that stuff and then you lie to my face. I can't be with you if I can trust you."

"Rach I know I lied about going to London with Emily, but I know that's not the only reason." She became silent at this and broke eye contact. He slowly made his way back to her and gently took her hand. "You can tell me the truth Rachel."

"When you left for London that was the hardest I ever to deal with it and I can't do it again."

"Why would I leave you again?"

"I don't know Ross maybe you might meet someone like Emily and decide to go without telling me."

"You really think I would abandon my family?"

"I didn't mean it… Ross please don't look at me like that," she said softly when she saw the hurt expression on his face.

"I can't help it. You think I'm just the type of person to just walk our on you and our baby."

"I'm sorry. I know you're not that type of guy. Your Ross," she said giving him a smile. "And I'm sorry for implying that you would ever do something like that."

"So do you forgive me for lying?" He looked at her with desperation and smiled when she nodded.

"I forgive you."

"Do you trust me?" She shook her head and he studied her closely. "Why not?"

"Because I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and you'll be gone and I'll be all alone again. Just like before," she answered in a quiet voice.

"I won't leave you."

But what if you do?

"Rachel you have to trust me when I say I won't leave. You said you forgave me for not telling you I was going back to London. I made a mistake, but I promise it won't happen again."

"Just promise that if you leave you'll come back."

"I promise I'll come back." He opened his arms for her as she waddled to him and held on to her and kissed her forehead as she cried into his chest.

"I love you so don't lie to me okay?"

"I promise I won't. I love you," he whispered as she watched as he leaned in to kiss her, but she did not hesitate. Instead she just close her eyes and let nature take its course.

"I love you… whoa," she yelled. He looked at her shock at the sudden outburst and saw that a hand was on her stomach.

"Honey what happened? Is it the baby? Is she…"

"She's kicking," Rachel said quietly, but with a smile. Ross moved his hand to hers and remained silent as they waited for another kick and both jumped when the felt it, confirming that their daughter was indeed alert

"Wow." He looked to a now beaming Rachel with the goofiest smile on his face before he leaned in to kiss her once again. She watched as he kneeled down and began to kiss her tummy.

"Hi baby we can't wait to see you." When she began to kick again they both started laughing.

"She must know that her daddy is near."

"I guess so."


	17. Bittersweet

**Sorry if there are any typos or errors I missed guys.**

The next morning felt like a dream. Ross had woken up early and had spent hours with his eyes focused only on her. For months he had hoped for this moment and it had come true. She was sleeping like an angel in his bed.

He studied every little detail of her face and felt himself fall more in love. Everything was perfect to him and he could not find one single flaw. The pink pouty lips that he was eager to kiss, eyes that couldn't have been any more blue, and the honey blonde hair that he was itching to run his fingers through. He was praying that their daughter ended up looking just like her. He felt himself unable to stop staring so he scooted closer and moved the strand of hair that fallen out of place. He kissed her forehead, but she did not stir so he moved his mouth to her neck and within a few seconds he heard her soft voice.

"So early in the morning huh," she joked as a smile played on her face. He didn't wait for an answer, but pulled her in for a kiss. When they broke apart she cuddled to his side and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Good morning."

"You bet it is," she giggled. At this he kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him.

"Hmm last night was… wow."

"I know," she agreed. She laid her head on his chest as his arms circled around her. "I love you." His smile grew even wider as he gave her another passionate kiss, but not before he whispered the same words back to her.

"I love you too Rach."

"What are we going to tell Monica? She's going to freak when she finds out."

"Us. I like the way that sounds," he grinned. She shook her head at him and smacked his chest lightly.

"Ross I'm not joking."

"Rachel you of all people should know that she was the main one rooting for us to get together and we couldn't tell her even if we wanted to. She and Chandler went to Atlantic City for the weekend."

"Oh yeah. I completely forgot." He focused his attention back to her belly and moved his head in hopes of feeling his daughter kick again.

"Come on baby kick for daddy," he cooed to her stomach. He smiled when he felt a strong kick and Rachel watched as he kissed her stomach repeatedly before she made her way out the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower. Are you coming?" She gave him a seductive look and sauntered into the bathroom while Ross fell back on his bed, hoping she wasn't a dream.

After 5 minutes of waiting for him Rachel's patience began to wear.

"Ross are you coming," she yelled. She stepped out wearing nothing but a towel and Ross felt his mind go into a daze. She sighed to herself as she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom with her.

Thirty minutes later they finished their shower together and Ross gave Rachel a kiss one last time as he left the bathroom to go fix her breakfast while she finished washing he finally made his way into the kitchen he collected the ingredients and mixed the batter together before pouring it into the pan. He started to whistle and just as he was about to flip the pancakes Rachel came out of nowhere and covered his eyes.

"Guess who," she whispered in his ear. He turned around and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey you." He pulled her in for a kiss and she tugged at his shirt and pushed her against the pantry door. He moved his hand lower which caused Rachel to let out a loud chuckle.

"You are so good at that."

"And you feel so good," he whispered in her ear. He moved his lips back to hers and they stay glued to each other until they were both greeted to the smell of something burning. Rachel crinkled her nose and broke away him.

"What's that?"

Just as he was about to shrug his shoulders he remembered that he was cooking breakfast. He cursed to himself and he rushed back to try and save them, but it was useless. The pancakes were completely burnt so he just piled them onto a plate and tossed it in the trash.

"I'm sorry Rach. I should've been paying attention," he apologized. She shook her head at him and moved a hand to his shoulder

"No it's my fault. I shouldn't have seduced you like that since I know you can't resist me," she added with a slight smirk.

He grinned and kissed her again. "Well that is true, but I can't help it honey. You're so beautiful."

"And you're adorable." He kissed her cheek again and turned back to the stove to get the ingredients to make another batch of pancakes. She frowned as she watched him mix the batter and kissed his shoulder blade.

"It's okay sweetie it's the thought that counts anyways."

"I want to do them perfect for you. I want only the best for my Rachel," he murmured.

Rachel shrugged and took a seat at the table and watched in admiration as he did a perfect flip. He looked back at her and winked.

She thought of how this could be their life every day, with the addition of a baby of course. Just the thought of waking up to him every morning made her smile. He treated her like a princess and last night was no exception. There was something different about him. He was definitely more special than any other guy she had ever been with because she could actually see herself marrying him. She was interrupted from her thoughts when he slid a plate in front of her. He was surprised at himself because he wasn't really wasn't a cook and the second batch came out perfectly. He took a piece of one and fed it to her and watched anxiously as she chewed.

"So… how do they taste?" Instead of giving him an answer she pulled him in for a kiss. She pulled back and Ross licked his lips, tasting syrup and grinned back at her.

"They tasting amazing baby. They're better than Monica's, but you can't tell her that." At this they both laughed when they thought of his sister's weirdly competitive nature.

"So what do you want to do today," she asked as she took a sip of milk.

"I have to stop at the university and get some of my notes. You don't have to come if…"

"I want to go!" He laughed at how quick she was to answer

"Okay you can come, but we have to get dressed first."

"Will you help me?" She gave him the classic puppy dog face and almost instantly he was under her spell.

"Anytime."

She giggled as she pulled him into their bedroom. When she gestured to her shirt he teasingly played with it, but when he saw the look she was giving him he slipped it off. He whispered a few words to her stomach before moving a hand to her waist.

"When do we have to leave sweetie?" He glanced at her and was a little taken back by the lust that was apparent in her eyes.

"We have a few hours to kill," he said with a sly look. She glanced at him with a lazy smile and pulled him in for another kiss.

* * *

"Here walk closer to me," Ross insisted. He pulled her closet to him as he and Rachel crossed the street. They walked in perfect sync with each other, hand in hand and with the goofiest smiles on their faces as if they didn't have a care in the world.

"After we go to the university do you want to take a walk through Central Park?"

"That sounds perfect…" She stopped in mid sentence when she saw a young woman of about 20 make her way to them. She gave them a beaming smile, well mostly Ross.

"Ross I didn't know you would be in class today. I missed my favorite professor. How has your weekend been," she flirted. Rachel watched in shock as the girl took a step closer and she raised her eyebrows. Was she really trying to hit on him in front of her?

"My weekend has been great actually. I'm here with my…"

"Do you have plans this afternoon? I'm having trouble understanding the work you gave us and who else would be a perfect tutor than my favorite professor," she finished with a smile and Ross grimaced. Rachel watched with raised eyebrows as the girl took another step in Ross's direction. She flipped back her hair in such a dramatic way that Rachel let out a fake cough. When Ross felt Rachel tense up next to him he put an arm around her.

"Actually I'm just coming to pick up a few notes from my classroom and then I have plans with my girlfriend." He put a lot of emphasis on the world girlfriend and she took notice. She turned her attention to Rachel and glared until her eyes landed on her stomach.

"Oh I didn't know… so your the girlfriend," she stuttered.

"Yeah and I would appreciate it if you didn't hit on the father of my child," Rachel snapped.

"I…"

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen," the girl answered nervously.

"I thought so." Rachel smirked as the girl stood frozen for a few moments and when she bid them farewell she gave Ross a quick smile before walking away. Ross turned to Rachel with a helpless look, prepared to apologize, but she beat him to it.

"Is that her? The student you told me about."

Yeah that's her." He put his head down in shame and began to apologize. "I'm sorry Rach."

"Don't worry about that sweetie. I don't think she'll be bothering you anymore." He kissed her forehead as they made their way into the building with their hands still linked.

"So umm I was in the nursery last night before you came home," she started as she looked at him and he met her stare. "And I remembered that we were so excited about getting together and her kicking for the first time that we forgot to pick out a name."

"A name?"

"Yeah, but we still have three more months to decide. Do you have any ideas?"

"Uh well I haven't really thought about that. I thought you would pick the name." At this she stopped in her tracks and tugged on his arm so that he stopped walking too.

"Ross you're her father. I would like you to have some input in picking her name."

"Rach I… I'm sorry. I didn't think you would like any of the ones I picked out. I mean I talked with Monica and she said they were horrible."

"What were some of the names?"

"Well one name was Ruth," he suggested and she started shaking her head.

"Ugh Monica was right."

"Well there was Helen." Rachel shook her head again and they began to argue about baby names for the next 15 minutes and they didn't agree on anything.

"Ross we are not naming our child Ruth!"

"If you would just give it a chance Rachel," he pleaded as they opened the door to his classroom.

"This is ridiculous. We can't even decide on a name."

"Well Monica suggested one name that really stuck to me, but I don't know if you'll like it.

"Try me," she said as she folded her arms.

"Well she suggested that we name her Emma. Monica said that she always loved that name and…" He didn't finish his sentence when he saw a tear escape from her eye and he made his way to her.

"Ross it's perfect for her. I love it."

"Really?" She nodded and hugged him tightly as they felt the baby kick again and they both grinned.

"See she likes it too. Emma is perfect honey," she gushed as Ross moved towards his desk and began searching through stacks of papers.

"When did I become so unorganized," he muttered as he searched through the papers

"I need to call Monica and thank her. We owe her big time." Ross nodded his head in agreement while he tried organize his desk.

"As soon as I find these notes we'll call her sweetie," he assured her. Once he found the notes he had been looking for he sighed in relief and made his way to a beaming Rachel.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah I…" They both jumped when they classroom door opened and turned to see an older colleague of Ross coming in.

"Professor Tuyle. How are you?"

"I'm good Geller I'm just hear to congratulate you. You're a lucky man." Ross looked scrunched his eyebrows and looked back at Rachel, who shrugged her shoulder and he turned back to Professor Tuyle

"I'm sorry, but I guess I wasn't informed yet. What did I win?"

"Didn't they tell you? They picked you to go on another dig, but this time you'll be leading it. You'll have a group of hand picked students working under you."

"Wow… that's great. I didn't think I would get it," he said in amazement. He was torn between wanting to jump and down, but he had to restrain himself in front of his colleague.

Professor Tuyle clapped him on the back and handed him the paper. Ross smiled and read the paper silently. A frown broke out when he saw the scheduling of the dig and how long he would be gone. According to the scheduled date he would be gone during Rachel's last few weeks of pregnancy and would be arriving back a week before her due date.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I can't accept this. I have other things that need to be taken care of and I can't leave."

"Ross do you know how many other Paleontologists wanted this. This is a once in a lifetime thing and you're going to say no." Tuyle stared at him in disbelief while Ross shook his head in confusion.

"I have other priorities here and they're too important. My girlfriend is pregnant and I can't leave her now," he explained as he gestured to Rachel. Professor Tuyle's expression softened as he watched Rachel go to Ross's side.

"I understand. Just make sure to call the board and inform them that you won't be able to take it. It would have been a great opportunity for you Geller." He shook his hand and left Ross and Rachel to themselves again. Ross silently gathered his notes and took Rachel's hand and led them out the classroom. An awkward silence was present and both were still speechless over what had just happened. They had walked for about twenty minutes in complete silence and were in the middle of Central Park when Ross gestured to a bench, but Rachel shook her head.

"No we can still walk. I kinda need the exercise," she joked and Ross couldn't help but crack a smile. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her squeeze his hand.

"I thought you would be mad at me after what happened," he muttered

"Why would I be mad at you? If anything I'm extremely proud of you honey." She gave him a peck on the cheek, but even that could not elevate his mood.

"I know, but I really didn't think I would get this offer. It's a big deal."

"Do you want to go?"

"I did at first, but then when I read the paper I realized I was going to be gone when your nine months and I would come back a week before your due date."

"If you want to go then I won't get mad Ross."

"I'm not leaving you," he stated.

"If you don't go then you'll regret it Ross and I know how much this means to you. You were so excited when you first told me."

"Rach that was before the baby and we weren't even together yet. I promised you I wouldn't leave."

"I trust you and I know you'll come back because we love each other," she said and he nodded at this. "And I know you want to see her."

"I want to see both of you," he said softly. "I don't want to miss a thing."

"You won't because I'll be here waiting for you. Monica and Chandler are here so you won't have to worry about me being alone." She pulled him in for a tight hug and buried her face in his chest as she took in his scent.

"I love you."

"I love you too Rach." She smiled as he held onto her protectively and they remained in a tight embrace until a few raindrops began to fall.

"I'm so proud of you Ross. Emma is too."

* * *

At 9 months pregnant Rachel looked like she was ready to pop, but she was beyond excited that she would be a mother in just one week. The last few months had been hard, but especially the last two weeks since Ross was gone. They called each other every day to check in and to keep him informed about the baby. Rachel grabbed a glass of water and waddled around Monica and Chandler's kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Rach do you want another cookie," Monica asked. At this Rachel gave her a warm smile. Even though the Geller siblings didn't have much in common they always made sure to treat her like family.

"No thanks Mon," she said politely.

"But look their still warm. And look at all the chocolate chips. You know you want them." She pushed the plate toward Rachel, but she politely declined again.

"If I eat another one then I'm going to be even bigger than I am now," she joked.

"Well I'm sure my brother wouldn't care. He dotes on you."

"I know he's so sweet," she gushed as her mind wandered back to him. After two long weeks he was finally coming back home. Chandler had left about an hour ago to pick him up from the airport and they both anxiously awaited his arrival.

"So are you excited to see him," Monica asked, but she already knew the answer by Rachel's expression.

"Am I excited? Monica I'm dying! As soon as I see him I'm taking him home and…," she stopped when she saw Monica's disgusted expression. "What?"

"You do realize he's my brother right?"

"Well you asked." They both burst into laughter at this. When she saw Monica move towards the living room Rachel tried to get up, but it had been getting more difficult every day to do the simplest things. Monica noticed this and lent out her hand.

"Need some help?"

"Thanks Mon." She helped her up and Monica immediately moved a hand to her stomach in excitement.

"Has my niece been kicking lately?" Instead of getting an answer she felt movement under her hand and she squealed.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Oh my gosh this is so exciting. I can't wait to see her. She's going to be so small and cute. I just love babies." Rachel watched in amusement as Monica began to sing to her tummy, but after a while she was reminded of Ross and how much he's missed in only two weeks and tears began to form. When Monica glanced at Rachel and saw her expression, she went into panic mode.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby? Are you…"

"I miss him Mon," she cried and Monica's expression softened. She knew the crying came more from Rachel than the pregnancy hormones.

"They're on their way. In just a few hours you'll be all over him." Rachel nodded and made her way to the couch, but stopped in her tracks when she felt pain strike in her lower abdomen. She made the mistake of letting out a gasp and Monica quickly rushed to her side.

"Rachel are you sure your okay?" At this she waved off Monica's question and denied it.

"I'm fine Monica."

"But you looked liked you were in pain and Ross said that…"

"I think I saw a spider in your guestroom." At this Monica grabbed a broom and practically sprinted to the guestroom. Rachel let out a chuckle at Monica's unusual obsession to have everything perfect, but she stopped when she felt pain strike her again.

"Probably just cramps," she muttered to herself. Just then Monica appeared at the door, sweaty and slightly flustered and she shook her head in Rachel's direction.

"There wasn't a spider Rachel. I swear you almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry Mon." They both took a seat on the couch as Monica grabbed the remote and began to search the channels when Rachel let out another gasp of pain and once again Monica gave her a curious look.

"Rachel are you sure your okay?"

"Yeah she's just kicking a lot that's all," she insisted. Monica stared at her for a few seconds before she turned her attention back to the tv.

"It's the middle of the day and nothing is on," she complained.

"Monica."

"Yeah."

"Do you think she'll have his eyes?"

"I think so. The Geller genes are very strong," she joked. Rachel smiled as she rubbed her stomach nonchalantly.

"The only problem would be that she'd get anything she wants. Ross already gets away with that."

"Yeah you're a goner if she's gets his eyes. I remember our mom could never say no to him. All he had to do was that puppy dog face thing and he got anything he wanted." Their conversation was cut short when the phone began to ring and Rachel moved to answer it, but Monica stopped her and answered it herself. She smiled when she heard her husband's voice.

"Hi honey have you picked him up yet," Monica asked.

"Yeah his flight just landed. We're going to the baggage claim," Chandler explained. "So how has my beautiful wife been?"

"She's doing great," Monica smiled she got up from the couch and strolled into the kitchen. "So did you miss me?"

"I missed you very much. I can't wait until tonight so we can…," he started, but Ross grabbed the phone.

"Dude that is my sister you know." He shook his head at Chandler for a few seconds before putting the phone back to his ear. "Hey Monica. How's my two girls?"

"She's doing fine. Speaking of girls, did Chandler tell you we went with Rachel to her doctor's appointment yesterday?"

"No."

"It was amazing Ross. I know we don't really know what she looks like yet, but she's beautiful," Monica gushed.

"I know, but that was a given since Rachel's her mother. She's healthy right?"

"Yup. She was moving a lot and she's gotten so big."

"How is my other girl?"

"Fine, but she was acting a little weird earlier. You want to talk to her?"

"Yes please," he answered.

"Okay hold on." She put down the phone and turned to see an empty couch. She checked the bedroom to see if she was taking a nap, but the it was empty.

"Rachel!" She grabbed the phone again to try and calm Ross who was now worried.

"Where is she?" The panic in his voice made her feel more guilty as she tried to stay calm.

"I don't know Ross. We were just sitting on the couch watching tv and…"

"Monica!" Relief filled her when she heard Rachel's voice and she hurried to the bathroom, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the terrified expression on Rachel's face.

"Rach what happened?"

"I think my water broke," she said quietly.

"Umm well I… we need to go to the hospital," She helped Rachel to the door when she remembered Ross was still waiting for her to answer. As soon as she put the phone to her ear she heard yelling.

"Monica what the hell is going on!"

"My niece is about to born," she yelled excitedly.

"What?"

"Your about to be a dad soon big brother. Rachel's water broke so just tell Chandler to meet us at the hospital."

"Wait what? Her water broke! Monica I…"

"I don't have time to explain so just meet us at the hospital," she snapped as she hung up. She ran a hand through her hair as she turned to Rachel, who had a terrified look on her face.

"Monica my due date isn't until next week. Ross isn't even here yet."

"Well it looks like Emma wanted to make an early arrival," she said as she led Rachel out the door.


	18. All Our Own

**So this is the last chapter, but it will be followed up with an epilogue so it's almost over. Thanks for all the feedback guys :)**

"Why does this hurt so much," Rachel groaned as she adjusted herself in the hospital bed. She looked out the window and saw yellow taxis speeding down the street. She felt pain strike her lower abdomen and let out a loud groan to keep herself from crying. It had been like this for the last three hours. Thankfully she had Monica, but Ross and Chandler had yet to arrive since they were stuck in traffic. For the most part she had stayed calm, but the longer she waited for him the more she felt like she would lose her sanity. When the door swung open she was delighted to see Monica and her doctor. Monica passed her a bottle water and she turned her attention to the doctor.

"Is she okay?"

"Your little girl is perfectly healthy Rachel. Everything is going great." At that moment Rachel felt a stronger contraction strike her and she let out a gasp of pain and bit her lips to keep from yelling. She smiled a little when she felt Monica squeeze her hand for reassurance.

"Just breathe Rachel. You're doing amazing," she coached. She opened her eyes again and was saddened to see no Ross.

"Rachel I'll be right back. Just push the button if need me or one of the nurses." Her doctor gave her a smile and left the room.

"Monica where is he," she asked as more tears began to fall.

"Rach the last time I talked with him he said they were on their way, but there was an accident and they're caught in traffic." Rachel closed her eyes at this and tried her best not to cry. The contractions were getting more painful by the minute and Ross wasn't even there.

"I told him he wouldn't miss a thing. Monica could you go call him again?"

"But Ross told me not to leave you by yourself."

"Monica please," she begged. She tried her best puppy dog face and Monica sprinted out the room. When she felt another contraction she turned in her bed and groaned. She moved a hand over her stomach and massaged it gently.

"Baby girl why are you hurting mommy?" The door swung open again she tried her best to sit up, but gave up when she saw Monica.

"I'm sorry Rach, but I couldn't reach him. He wasn't answering his phone or anything." She nodded and laid her head down, disappointed and distraught.

"It's okay. Thanks for trying Mon," she whispered as a tear fell. Monica gave her a small smile and smoothed out her hair.

"I know my brother is doing everything to get here. He loves you and her more than anything. He told me he would kill me if I didn't take care of you," she laughed and Rachel gave her a smile. Before either of them could say anything the door opened and to Rachel's amazement her mother and father strolled in.

"Daddy," she whispered. The second he heard her voice he broke out into one of his rare smiles that he reserved especially for her. He engulfed her in a hug and kissed her forehead while Rachel continued to stare at him in amazement.

"You look like you've seen a ghost sweetpea."

"I can't believe you're here. I thought you said you didn't approve."

"Well I couldn't miss my granddaughter's birth now could I," he said. He gave her a smile as he placed a bouquet of lilies next to her bed and to his shock she reached over and hugged him again while her mother and Monica watched.

"Thank you for being here," she whispered as he moved a strand of hair from her face.

"Your my little girl. I wouldn't miss this for the world." He smiled as Rachel pulled away and turned to her mother.

"So where are Jill and Amy," Rachel asked when she noticed that her two sisters were no where to be found.

"Vacationing in St. Barts."

"What a shocker," Rachel said sarcastically. She wasn't really upset by her sisters disappearance since Monica had always felt more like a sister than just a close friend. Rachel's mother moved a hand to her stomach and gave her a warm smile.

"Last time I saw you I couldn't even tell you were pregnant and now you're as big as a house. How many centimeters are you sweetheart?"

"4."

"Oh well that's not too far along dear." Her mother smiled and started to fluff her pillows while Rachel watched her father nervously. He had his back to her as he looked out the window.

"Daddy."

"Yes sweetpea."

"Ross has been my best friend since I was five and I love him." She paused as she waited for her father's response and was relieved when he nodded. "I want you to try and get along with him. I know it's going to be hard, but could you do it for her," she said softly as she moved a hand to her stomach.

"I'll try." Rachel shook her head and gestured for him to come closer.

"Please try daddy. I don't want us to fight anymore. I want her to see her grandpa and her daddy getting along."

"I promise I'll try sweetpea. Actually your mother and I spoke with his parents a few weeks ago and we thought it would be best if we got along for the sake of the baby. Speaking of which, where is Geller?" At this Rachel paled and her eyes began to water. Monica immediately rushed to her and tried to soothe her, but she only became more upset by the minute. Her father frowned and turned to her mother.

"What did I say?" She shrugged her shoulders while Dr. Green continued to scratch his head in confusion.

"Ross is caught in traffic Dr. Green," Monica explained

"Oh." After a few uncomfortable minutes of watching Rachel cry he excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Monica and her mother to fuss over her.

"Mom it hurts," she cried as she squeezed her hand tightly.

"I know sweetheart. I know," she whispered. She wiped Rachel's forehead with a towel while Monica handed her water.

"Rach I'm going to run down to the cafeteria. Do you want me to grab you something?" She gave Monica a small smile and shook her head as she watched her leave the room.

"Your father is so excited about being a grandpa," her mother mused as she took a seat in the closest chair. "I remember he was so happy when he held you for the first time. I think the only time I've seen him cry is when you and your sisters were born."

"Daddy cried," Rachel asked in shock. She herself had never seen her father become emotional. Not even at funerals did he shed a tear. Her mother nodded as they sat in silence, with an occasional grunt of pain from Rachel. After fifteen minutes of waiting the door opened to reveal a beaming Monica and Rachel narrowed her eyes at her when she saw her expression.

"Rach guess who's here," she squealed with excitement. Her father entered and Chandler followed right behind. At this Rachel's face lit with excitement and she could not contain it when she laid her eyes on him for the first time in weeks.

Ross stepped into the room. She was taken back by the tan he had acquired and the fact that his hair had grown out. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, but he looked even sexier to her. A moment of silence filled the room as the two took in each other's appearances before he ran to her. He engulfed her in a hug and whispered loving words in her ear while she clutched on to him for dear life.

"I missed you so much honey." She smiled at this as he cradled her face in his hands.

"I missed you too." They kissed each other passionately, catching up on all the lost time. The women smiled at the reunited couple while Chandler and Dr. Green stood watched uncomfortably. When they finally broke apart Rachel hit his arm.

"Where were you?"

"Rach I'm so sorry. There was an accident and traffic was worse than usual. We got to the hospital about ten minutes ago, but we couldn't find the room. Thankfully your dad brought us here," he finished as he gave Dr. Green a grateful look.

"Thank you daddy."

"Anything for my little girl." The door opened again and Rachel's doctor entered, though she was a little astounded at how many people were now present. Everyone left, but Ross as they waited to see how far along she was.

"You're 6 centimeters so it's getting really close," she said as she gave the parents to be a smile. At this announcement Rachel laid her head down in frustration and pouted. Ross chuckled to himself as he massaged her shoulders.

"It's going to be fine Rach. She's almost here," he said, trying to comfort her.

"I know," she whispered as they waited patiently.

A few more hours had passed and Rachel was now having more stronger and frequent contractions than before, but she was now taking her anger out on Ross.

"This is all your fault," she growled angrily as she sent another glare in his direction. At this he stood frozen, speechless and a little frightened by her tone. He timidly moved a hand to her shoulder, but she smacked it away.

"Come on Rachel I…"

"Don't touch me and don't you dare try to kiss me! When this baby comes out I am going to kill you Ross! We are never having sex again!" Her crying had ceased about six minutes ago and she had been yelling at him the last two. He was a little scared that she would keep to her word about no more sex, but he was a little amused since he didn't know she had such a way with words. Without warning she grabbed his hand and for a second Ross thought her anger had subsided, but when he felt her squeeze his hand a little too tight he whimpered in pain.

"Rach could you ease up your grip," he gasped.

"What the hell are you smirking about Geller! You think this is funny! Ross I swear I…" She stopped and released his hand when she felt another contraction and let out a scream that made everyone in the room flinch.

"It's okay baby. Everything is going to be fine," he whispered as he kissed her forehead. She was too exhausted to yell at him anymore so she just nodded along with him. The doctor appeared in the room and they turned to her with anxious looks.

"You're ready for delivery Rachel. It's almost over." At this they both smiled at the thought of seeing their baby for the first time.

This was it. They were about to become parents.

* * *

"Rachel you have to push if you want to see her," her doctor urged.

"I can't anymore," she cried. Her face was now extremely red and she was breathing heavily.

"You're doing great honey. I'm so proud of you Rach," Ross said as he kissed her cheek.

She laid her head down in exhaustion. She felt like she had been pushing for days and she still had no baby. Ross was being extremely supportive and had been coaching her through the whole thing, but even with all this support Rachel felt like she didn't have any more energy left in her to push.

"Ross I can't… I'm so sorry," she said in tears. Ross moved a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of place and gave her a soft kiss.

"I know you can do it Rach. I know you want to see her."

"I can't Ross. It hurts too much."

"Come on baby I know you're strong. She's almost here. I know you want to see who she looks like," he added and she couldn't help but smile at that. With his words of encouragement Rachel pushed again, but this time she was more successful and was even closer to holding their baby in her arms.

"Rachel you're doing perfect. I can see her head already," her doctor announced. At this Rachel looked up to see Ross jumping up and down in shock and excitement.

"Oh god Rachel how are you doing this?"

"You're not helping Ross," she said through gritted teeth as she pushed again.

"Okay that's it Rachel! You're doing beautiful, just a few seconds more! She's almost here!" With that she gave one last push before she finally fell back onto the bed, completely out of energy. She closed her eyes for a second, hoping to block everything out, but she smiled as soon as she heard the loud cry of a newborn baby.

"I love you so much Rach," Ross whispered as he held on to her. Her vision was a little blurry, but she could make out the little bundle in the doctor's arms.

"Oh no Mr. Geller don't be alarmed. We're just cleaning her up," the doctor assured him when she saw Ross's crestfallen expression. While the nurses cleaned her up Ross kneeled at Rachel's bedside and began kissing her once again.

"Rach I… we have a baby," he said in amazement. Rachel smiled, her eyes still closed, and reached for his hand.

"How is she," she whispered softly.

"Healthy. Perfectly healthy." After a few more minutes of waiting they watched as one of the nurses made her way towards them. In her arms was a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. She gave them both a warm smile as she handed Rachel the baby.

"Congratulations you two." All the doctors and nurses left as they gave the new family some quality time. Ross hesitantly moved the blanket so they could see her face and both let out a loud gasp.

"Wow," he whispered in disbelief. Ross had gotten his wish because she looked exactly like her mother. She had the same pouty lips and the same nose that scrunched up when she laughed. Ross ran a hand over her head, which already had a few golden strands of hair. Rachel began to cry when she touched their daughter's cheek for the first time.

"She's finally here." She smiled as the infant in her arms began to wiggle around. She stroked her arm and continued to stare at her daughter and she felt overwhelmed. She was a mom to this beautiful baby.

"She's so small Ross," she whispered as she continued to gaze at the child in her arms, unable to register the fact that she had carried her inside her body for 9 months, that they had created this little person.

"She's beautiful Rachel." She glanced at Ross, who was also overcome with tears. He wiped one away as he studied the baby with much concentration while Rachel wiped another tear away.

"Oh sweetie why are you crying?" Ross shook his head at her and let out a soft chuckle.

"I wanted her to look just like my Rachel. Everything is all you," he said with a smile.

"You're going to spoil her aren't you," she teased.

"I can't help it. She looks her mother," he said sweetly and Rachel turned pink.

"Well if our little princess opens her eyes then maybe we can see who she really looks like. Come on sweetie open your eyes," Rachel cooed and miraculously the baby began to blink for the first time.

"Oh my god! Ross look," she squealed when she saw his big puppy dog hazel eyes on their little girl. At Rachel's scream the baby's eyes began to water with oncoming tears and her face turned red.

"Aww Rach you scared her."

"No baby mommy's not crazy. She's just happy you have daddy's eyes," she cooed to the small bundle in her arms. "Look at those eyes Ross. Oh I'm in so much trouble," she teased.

Ross watched lovingly as she cuddled their little girl to her chest and smothered her with kisses. She hadn't been alive for too long, but he could not picture his life without her or Rachel.

"Can… can I see her," he asked nervously. Rachel smiled at this and gave him a nod.

"Of course sweetie. You're her daddy," she said proudly, causing Ross to beam. She carefully handed him the small bundle, but Ross was still a little scared that he would drop her.

"Am I holding her right?"

"You're doing fine sweetie," she assured him. He took a seat in a chair right next to the bed. She settled into his arms nicely and he watched as she held on to his finger.

"She has a strong grip Rach." He stroked the few strands of hair and kissed her nose. He knew he would probably end up buying everything for her.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Ross glanced at Rachel, who was smiling at the pair.

"She looks like you," Ross responded.

"But she has your eyes. That was the one thing I was hoping for," she smiled. Ross grinned as he turned his attention back to his daughter. He still could not get over how much she looked like her mother. He still felt like everything was a surreal dream.

"Oh baby girl you don't know how long we waited to see your beautiful face," he cooed to her. He stared at her with tears in his eyes as she squinted her eyes at him.

"Ross she doesn't understand you," Rachel teased. He smirked as he shook his head and pointed to Rachel.

"You see mommy? I know she's pretty just like you. We love her so much because she loves us too. She's perfect," Ross whispered to Emma while he maintained eye contact with a tearful Rachel. Their precious family moment was interrupted by the arrival of a nurse who held a clip board in her hand.

"So do we have a name for this little one yet," the nurse asked.

"Emma," he said as he stroked her arm.

"Her middle name?

"Monica," Rachel said as she caught Ross's eye and they both smiled.

"And a last name?"

"Umm Green," Ross started, but Rachel cut him off.

"Geller. Her last name is Geller," she said quickly. Ross looked shell shocked at this and he looked to her. The nurse wrote down the information and left the couple to themselves once again. Ross carefully handed Emma back to her and pulled Rachel in for a passionate kiss. They stayed attached while the baby just watched her parents. When they finally broke apart their faces were flushed and they could not hide their giddy smiles.

"I can't believe you want her to have my last name. Rach that means the world to me." She smiled at his words and moved a hand to his cheek.

"Ross you're her father and we're a family now. You really thought she wasn't going to be a Geller?"

"Well I didn't know… I mean we're not married… not yet anyways," he added quietly and Rachel beamed at him. They had only been together for a few months and while she had thought about marriage in her head they had never discussed it openly.

"You want to marry me," she whispered softly. He nodded as he kneeled at her bedside.

"You know I do Rach, but I didn't want to pressure you into something that you might not want right now," he explained and she shook her head at him.

"Whenever you ask or wherever you ask just know that the answer will be yes. I'll bet our little Emma would love to be the flower girl," she cooed as she kissed Emma's nose.

"This is awesome Rachel. She's a Geller," he yelled in excitement.

"Well Emma Geller did sound better to me anyways," she teased. They shared another kiss before they were interrupted again, this time by their family. Monica and her mother squealed when they saw the bundle in her arms, but it was her father who made his way to them.

"Okay let's see her." Rachel gladly passed Emma to her father and for the first time in Ross's memory he sees Dr. Green smile.

"Absolutely gorgeous," he stated. He glanced at Ross and then back to Emma with a grin. "I see she has your eyes Geller." Rachel remained silent as she watched her father stare at Emma with curiosity. When she let out a soft wail she was immediately soothed by her grandfather. They were all shocked when he burst into another smile as he continued to play with Emma.

"Oh no I remember this. Exact same thing when you and your sisters were born. Your father is going to spoil her rotten Rachel," her mother warned. Dr. Green ignored this as he continued to play with his granddaughter.

After much persuasion from his ex wife, Dr. Green finally passed her along. And just like Dr. Green, Rachel's mother began to fuss over the baby.

"Rachel dear you really should consider breastfeeding her. It's much better," her mother nagged

"I'll think about it mom." She closed her eyes for a few moments and tried to block out everything. Although she was very excited about Emma she had never felt so exhausted in her life. When she felt a hand on her shoulder she opened her eyes to see Monica.

"So how was it, giving birth and everything?"

"The hardest thing I ever had to do, but it was so worth it," she finished. "She's perfect Mon."

"I know," Monica agreed. She held her breath when she was finally given Emma and immediately Rachel could see her and Chandler's eyes light up. While they played with their new niece Rachel watched the interaction between her father and Ross. They exchanged a few words and Rachel watched on with a smile until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey Rach what's her name," Chandler asked. At this question Ross and Rachel caught eachother's eye as they watched Monica cuddle Emma.

"Emma Monica Geller," she announced and almost immediately after this announcement Monica began to jump up and down.

"Oh my god! You named her after me! Thanks so much you guys," she cried as she pulled both of them in for a tight hug. Monica began to kiss Emma all over while everyone else watched on in admiration.

"Oh just wait Emma. I'm going to buy you everything," she cooed to her niece.

"Hey Mon where's mom and dad?" Ross had just noticed that they were missing part of the family.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. They went on a vacation for their anniversary, but I called them and they should be back in a few hours. Mom was so excited." She gave him a smile as she passed Emma to Chandler. After a few more minutes everyone congratulated them before they all exited the room to give the new family some quality time. Rachel watched as Ross sung to a sleepy Emma and her heart melted at the sight. She was tired and felt like she would fall asleep at any moment, but she could not take her eyes off the pair.

"What is she doing?"

"Pulling my finger." He kissed Emma's nose and a hint of a smile appeared on her face. He quickly turned to Rachel, who was still trying to fight sleep.

"She smiled didn't she," Rachel asked in such a quiet voice that Ross could barely hear her.

"Yeah, but I think it was just gas," he chuckled as he put the sleeping baby in her bassinet. Ross kneeled at her bedside and put an arm around her as they watched Emma sleep. Her cheeks were a rosy color and her chest rose and fell as she slept.

"She reminds me of you so much." At this Ross gave her a skeptical look.

"How?"

"When she's sleeping she curls up just like you, she jumps when she hears loud sounds, and when she yawns you two make the same adorable expression," Rachel finished and Ross was surprised at how much she noticed in such a short span of time.

"Well she looks just like you. I think I finally understand why your father was so overprotective. I might end up the same way," he chuckled and Rachel grinned as her eyes began to droop.

"I love you Ross."

"I love you too." When she moved a hand to his cheek she leaned her forehead against his.

"I can't believe I have a baby with you," she giggled and Ross smirked.

"Me either. She's so perfect because she looks just like you. I can't wait for the next one." At this Rachel's eyes flew open when she heard this and she poked him in the chest.

"The next one!" Ross shushed her so she wouldn't wake Emma, but Rachel was still red faced after his little joke.

"Baby I was joking. Let's focus on her before we have any more little Gellers running around." Rachel shook her head at him.

"Let's give it a few years before another one."

"Okay," he agreed. "So how does it feel to be a parent Ms. Green?"

"Exhausting," she laughed as she pulled him in for another kiss. "But I wouldn't trade you or her for anything."


	19. Epilogue

_A nine year old Rachel sat on top of a slide at a playground near her house. She had been waiting for over an hour when she saw the outline of someone walking towards her. She beamed at the tall and lanky dark haired boy she had become so familiar with over the past few years._

"Finally," she said as she slid down from the top. "What took you so long?"

"Me and Monica got in trouble," Ross murmured. At this revelation Rachel pursed her lips and moved her hands to her waist.

"What did you do?" He moved his hands into his pockets and coughed uncomfortably under Rachel's glare.

"We were wrestling and we kinda broke the tv," he explained. Rachel shook her head at him in disappointment and took his hand as they made their way over to a bench.

"You and Monica are way too competitive with each other. I mean that football game you guys played at Thanksgiving was out of control."

"Because she cheated! I totally won that game," he yelled. At his sudden outburst Rachel gave him a look and he fell silent. They walked hand in hand before they finally reached a bench. She sat down first and Ross took his seat next to her. When she felt his hand in her hair and it took her a while to realize what he was doing.

"Sorry, but the wind messed up your hair," he explained. He turned pink when he saw her gaze on him and turned away. Rachel smiled at this. She had known him since she was five years old and he seemed to blush at everything. She had to admit that she thought it was absolutely adorable, but she would never tell him that to his face.

"When are you going to stop being so shy," she teased as she pinched his cheeks. She was glad when she saw him crack a smile.

"Mom said I'll grow out of it, but Monica thinks I'm a geek."

"You are not a geek. You just know a lot about dinosaurs," she concluded.

"Yeah I guess so." When Rachel gave him a smile he suddenly remembered the conversation with his parents that had occurred earlier that day. He turned red at just the thought of it and looked away, which did not go unnoticed by Rachel because she moved a hand to his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Ross shook his head in embarrassment, but she continued to egg him on. "Come on you have to tell me. That's what best friends are for." She begged him to tell until he finally gave in.

"Okay fine. Well umm my mom and dad sat me down today and we talked," he said awkwardly and his cheeks turned pink.

"About what?" At this question his face became even more flushed while Rachel listened with intense curiosity.

"My mom told me that I'm going to be going through a lot of changes soon. She told me I'm going to start liking girls and that I'm not going to look like a little boy anymore."

"They gave you the talk didn't they," Rachel asked in a horrified voice and he nodded.

"It was horrible."

"My parents did the same thing with me and my sisters. It was so embarrassing." Rachel shuddered at just the memory of the conversation.

"My mom said I'll have to shave when I'm older."

"So does that mean you're getting a beard," she asked excitedly.

"Yup," he said proudly.

"Wow." She sat back, impressed. "That means you're going to look like a man. You're going to get a girlfriend," she teased and Ross blushed at this.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am…"

"But you have to promise that we stay best friends okay," Rachel said and Ross nodded in agreement

"Rachel we'll always be best friends."

"You have to promise me Ross," she demanded.

"I promise."

"And since we're best friends if neither one of us is married by… thirty then we get married and have kids and stuff."

"Why thirty?"

"It's my favorite number. Do we have a deal?" She stuck out her hand and after ten seconds he cautiously shook it.

"Yeah," Ross nodded. He was still skeptical to the idea, but he knew if he didn't agree to it then she would nag him until he did.

"Pinky swear," Rachel suggested as she held out her finger and Ross laughed.

"Pinky swear," he said as he lifted his finger and sealed the deal. "But I gotta tell you Rachel I really don't think that's ever going to happen. I mean us getting married. That's crazy," he laughed.

"You'll never know. Things might change," she said quietly. A silence fell between them as they watched a leaf fall from a nearby tree. Rachel jumped in her seat when she felt a poke in her back.

"Do you want to go on the swings?"

"Ross you know I hate swings. They're evil!" He chuckled at how terrified she had become which earned him a smack on the shoulder.

"Rachel the swings are fun and safe. You're not going to die."

"No! I hate the swings! I already told you about the incident!" She folded her arms and pouted while Ross shook his head in disbelief.

"Come on Rachel. Please," he begged. He gave her the puppy dog look and as much as she tried to resist it was impossible. That look got him anything he wanted.

"Fine, but I'm blaming you if anything goes wrong." He nodded as they made their way over to the swing set.

"I'll push you if you want."

"Thanks, but remember not too high," she reminded and Ross chuckled to himself as he pushed her slightly. After a while she became more comfortable and started to forget about her fear of the swings and starting laughing along with Ross.

"So I was wondering… if we do get married does that mean you'll be Mrs. Geller because if so that would be so cool?" At this question Rachel giggled and shrugged her shoulders. Ross continued to push and watched as her hair swung from side to side.

"I don't know. You'll have to keep your promise to me," she called as she swung higher into the air.

"Do you really think that we will though? We would be husband and wife like our parents."

"Things change Ross," she repeated. 

How things had changed. Ross smiled at the memory of him and Rachel, but focused his attention back on the beautiful woman that was making her way down the aisle.

Ross felt his hands become steady when he laid his eyes on the woman who was about to become his wife. She was wearing a stunning strapless gown that clung to her curves. Her makeup was flawless and her hair flowed down her back in elegant curls. He felt himself stop breathing until he felt a clap on his back.

"Don't you go passing out. You haven't even said I do yet," Chandler hissed in his ear. He nodded, but continued to stare as her father walked her down the aisle.

Dr. Green kissed his daughter's cheek as he handed her off. She beamed at Ross as she took her place in front of him.

"You look beautiful," he whispered. At this a collective sigh issued from the crowd as Rachel's eyes filled with tears. Dr. Green sat next to ex wife and for once they were not bickering, but instead they held eachother's hands as they watched their daughter say her vows. Mr and Mrs. Geller sat in the front row and they each held a baby in their arms. Monica and Chandler's adopted twins, Jack and Erica sleep soundly as their grandparents watched the ceremony.

But the only other person that the groom and wife had their eye on was their daughter. Sitting next to her grandparents was a now three year old Emma. With long honey blonde hair and puppy dog eyes, she was the apple of her parents eyes. When Ross saw his little girl wave he blew her a kiss and she giggled to herself. She was a complete daddy's girl and had been since the day she was born and while she was almost an exact clone of her mother, she took after her father. She had inherited his loving, sweet nature and his love for science. Her first word had been dino, much to Rachel's displeasure.

Standing at the altar as the best man was Chandler, and the maid of honor, Monica. They exchanged knowing glances as they watched the two people they had been rooting for say their vows to each other. The minister's words flowed right through Ross's ears as he continued to gawk at Rachel. They both read their vows to each other and after they finished there was not a dry eye in the room.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." At this Ross was awaken from his daze and saw Rachel move towards him. He cupped her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers as they kissed for the first time as Mr and Mrs. Geller. When they broke apart their ears were greeted to the sound of applause, but before they could even make their way down the aisle Emma had already hopped up from her seat and was making her way to her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Ross smiled as he lifted her up. She placed a kiss on her mother and father's cheeks. With Emma in his arm and Rachel holding his hand the Gellers made their way down the aisle as a new family. About an hour later the newlyweds were dancing to a slow song. They only had eyes for each other and it was clear to everyone present. Rachel giggled as she watched Chandler dance with Monica and Ross gave her a curious look.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing it's just… Chandler. I remember Monica used to complain that he never cries or express his feelings and he was practically sobbing when we were at the altar. Did you see him?"

"I was too busy staring at you," he gushed and Rachel blushed. At that Rachel leaned into kiss him again. She moved her hands into his hair as they held each other and they finally broke apart when they realized they were in the middle of the dance floor. They resumed their original position, but broke apart when the heard the laughter of a three year old. They turned around just in time to see Emma dancing with both of her grandpas and her parents watched on proudly.

"Maybe on our honeymoon we can work on giving her a brother or sister," Ross whispered. At this Rachel smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you sure we're ready for another one? Emma is quite a handful."

"But she's our little angel," Ross added as he watched Emma run through the crowd with Chandler chasing behind her. They chuckled at how active she had become in the last year.

"I swear she has you wrapped around her finger Geller."

"Because she looks like you Rach. Come on it wouldn't be so bad having another one. We can work on the new baby on our honeymoon," he suggested.

"Well I would like that very much Mr. Geller, but I was planning on having you busy the whole honeymoon anyways," she added cheekily. Ross beamed at her and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I can't wait. Our baby making honeymoon."

"I hope we get a boy. I always wanted a little guy that looked just like you. My little Ross," she added and Ross beamed with pride.

"I wouldn't mind having another girl. I love that I have a daughter who looks like my Rachel," he said proudly.

"You keep saying stuff like that then I'll just have to take you back home so we can start on that baby right now," she joked, but Ross thought she was serious and immediately started tugging on her arm.

"Are you serious Rach? I was just joking, but if you want to go right now then we can just get a room at the Plaza or…" Rachel cut him off by her laughter.

"Sweetie I was joking. You really want another one don't you," she asked softly and he nodded. "As soon as we get to the hotel in Barbados we can start. And no leaving the room," she said sternly.

"It's a deal." Before they could kiss on it Rachel felt a tug on her dress and they both looked down to see their little Emma beaming up at them.

"There's my baby girl," Ross whispered as kneeled down to her level. He kissed her forehead and she burst into giggles. She held her arms out, silently asking if she could dance with them.

"You want to dance with me and daddy honey," Rachel cooed as she also kneeled down to Emma's level.

"Yes mommy." They smiled as Ross lifted her up and held her protectively, but managed to resume the same position with his wife.

"Doesn't mommy look beautiful Emma," Ross asked and Emma set her eyes on Rachel and nodded.

"Very pretty daddy," she answered and Rachel beamed. He passed Emma to Rachel and she lied her head on her mother's chest. She played with Rachel's hair as her parents continued to sway to the music until they heard a loud squeal.

"I can't believe we're sisters in law," Monica squeal as she pulled Rachel in for a hug. Emma started giggling as she was caught in between her aunt and her mother.

"There's my little Emma wemma. Where have you been," Monica cooed. She pointed in her uncle's direction and looked between her mother and aunt. Rachel put Emma down and they watched her run off into the crowd.

"I'm so happy for you guys. See you should've just listened to me in the beginning. I knew you two would end up together. It was only a matter of time."

"I know, but still… it's Ross. I didn't expect to get married to my best friend. Or have a baby with him," she added as she gestured to Emma, who had made her way to over to wedding cake.

"But you three make such a cute family," Monica gushed and at this Rachel turned pink. She had been keeping a secret from everyone the entire day and she was terrible at lying to people. Plus she hated keeping secrets from Ross.

"Well technically the four of us will make a cute family," she corrected. As soon as the words left her mouth Monica's lips curled into a smile.

"No way," she said covering her mouth. Rachel nodded and moved a hand over her stomach.

"I found out this morning when we were getting ready. Remember I kept getting sick last week during the dress fittings and we thought it was the flu?" At this Monica nodded as her thoughts flew back to last week. "Well I took a pregnancy test this morning and it was positive," she revealed. She had been shocked, but she had been suspecting that she was pregnant for a while.

"Oh my god," Monica gasped as she pulled Rachel in for another hug. "I'm going to be an aunt again."

"But please don't tell Ross. He doesn't know yet and he wants us to start trying for a baby on the honeymoon and I want to surprise him when we get back."

"That's so sweet. Emma is going to be a big sister and Jack and Erica are going to have another cousin to play with,"' she cried. They hugged each other again before they heard voices belonging to their husbands.

"You two are crying again. Women are so emotional," Chandler teased. He and Ross snickered and they women both narrowed their eyes at their husbands.

"Well Rachel has a right to be because she's…" she stopped in mid sentence when she saw Rachel's terrified expression and realized what she was about to reveal. She glanced at Ross, who was waiting for her to finish her statement.

"Because what Monica?"

"Because she's umm… a newlywed duh," she said rolling her eyes and Ross and Chandler nodded at this.

"And don't act like you weren't crying either Chandler. I saw you," Rachel teased. At this everyone turned to Chandler with amused smirks and he became flustered sweaty.

"I was not crying. It was my allergies," he defended.

"Yeah right." Their conversation was interrupted when Emma appeared before them. Chocolate cake was smeared across her face and her dress. She gave them a dazzling smile, but Rachel and Monica panicked at the sight of her and her now ruined dress.

"Oh Emma no. You got cake all over your dress," Rachel groaned. Emma's smile fell when she noticed the disappointed looks and she pursed her lips to keep herself from crying.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. The look on her face was identical to Ross's when he looked guilty and Rachel smiled at how similar they were.

"Oh sweetie don't cry. It's okay." She stroked Emma's hair and kissed her head.

"Don't worry Rach I'm sure it will come out," Monica assured her as she inspected the stain.

"Come here baby," Ross called to her. Emma made her way to her father. He grabbed a napkin and began cleaning her face while Rachel in a daze. Ross had been extremely dedicated to Emma since day one and always had patience with her even when she was difficult at times. Just seeing him taking of her made her more excited about the arrival of their newest family member.

"Speaking of kids where are the twins?"

"Mom and dad are watching them for a while, but I assure you as soon as they wake up we're going straight to them," Monica insisted. Monica kept to her word because not long afterwards the twins had woken up from their nap and were now being entertained by their parents while Rachel had made her way to the table to where her sisters were sitting.

"Hey Rach how are you feeling," Amy asked.

"Happy and nervous I guess."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I'm not I just… I want to be a good wife to Ross and I don't want to mess it up. I don't want him to wake up one morning and be regret this."

"I know just how you feel Rachel," Amy said, her voice dripping with sympathy and Rachel looked at her in disbelief.

"How would you know? You've never been married."

"Oh my gosh I can't believe you. I was married," she said angrily and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"For two weeks Amy and that was because you eloped in Vegas with some random guy."

"He was not random! I had known him for two days before we got married," she said quietly. Rachel rolled her eyes again and turned away from her.

"Anyways I just don't want to disappoint him. Ross is such a great friend and father. I love him so much," she said as she watched him dance with Emma.

"Rachel everything will be fine. I'll get you a drink," Jill said as she stood up and alarms went off in Rachel's head as her thoughts flew to the baby

"No thanks."

"Why not? I promise it will calm you down. It always works for me until the hangover of course," Jill sighed sadly.

"I'm just… I wasn't feeling too well this morning." Her sisters shrugged at this and for once Rachel was glad that they had the attention span of a squirrel.

"But really Rachel we're happy for you. I mean who would've thought you and Ross Geller would end up married?"

"Well we were best friends since I was five in case you forgot."

"Oh yeah. Then again he looked so different," Jill mused and Rachel shook her head. "He had those braces and glasses and don't even get me started on that horrible Afro…" She stopped when she saw the nasty glare Rachel was giving her.

"Are you really going to insult my husband on my wedding day?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying he looks different. He's so hot and muscular now. And those eyes of his are just…

"And let me remind you once again that he is my husband and also the father of your niece."

"Oh yeah I forgot. Where is little Emily?" At this Rachel cringed. Even though it had been years ago she had always been hostile to the name Emily.

"Emma. Her name is Emma."

"Yeah Emma. I feel like I haven't seen her since she was five," Amy said as she started to look around.

"She's three."

"Since when?" At this Rachel threw her hands in the air. She loved her family, but her sisters were infuriating at times. She bid them goodbye as nicely as she could and made her way over to Ross and his parents.

Mr and Mrs. Geller smiled as Rachel moved closer to them. Ross greeted her with a kiss and put an arm around her.

"Oh this is so lovely. I'm not the only Mrs. Geller anymore," she said excitedly. Rachel turned pink at this as Ross pulled her closer.

"So any words of advice," Ross asked.

"Never forget an anniversary or birthday son. She'll never let you live it down," his father said clapping him on the back.

"And it will be difficult at times, but you two should always remember the promises you made to each other. And I'm not just referring to your wedding vows." Ross and Rachel nodded at this as they held each other's hands.

They listened attentively to his parents, both hoping that no matter what they would always be together. After a few more words of wisdom the new Mr. and Mrs Geller had made their way over to the photographer where they had began fussing over Emma, who was loving all the attention she was getting.

The photographer held up three fingers to get them ready.

"Okay on one two three." They all smiled as they camera flashed. Rachel immediately went to scan the picture and her eyes welled up with oncoming tears as she studied the picture.

**The image: **_A beautiful woman with long blonde hair standing next to handsome young man with killer hazel eyes. In his arms he held a mini version of his new wife and looks like he's in heaven. The little girl in his arms smiles into the camera with a beaming smile while her parents gaze at each other lovingly. _

"It's perfect." Rachel wiped the tear that had escaped her eye and turned to him. She smiled, still marveling at the fact that she was married to him. "I'm glad you kept your promise."

"I am too. You were worth the wait." 


End file.
